More Than Words
by Cirae
Summary: For some time before they set out on a seemingly unassuming mission, Keiko began to have an odd dream that paired her against a mysterious demoness. Captivated, Keiko kept most of the dream's details to herself - but will she pay for her secrecy?
1. Keiko's Dream

**Title**: More Than Words

**Chapter: **One.

**Rating**: PG-13 for language and violence.

**Author's Notes:** And I'm finally posting my first story here! This story will focus on a seemingly unassuming mission, rather typical of the YYH gang. The entire group comes along for the ride when Koenma sends them to investigate a demon-conscious village - a mission that will parallel a mysterious dream that Keiko's been having. As this is a new character, I will be introducing outside characters - and they will be major parts of the plots. But don't expect any happy little fairies or all powerful conquerors from me ... and most certainly no off-the-wall pairings. That said, enjoy the fic and _please review!_

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. Any new characters introduced in this story belong to me, and they will be few and far between.

* * *

She was alone.

Keiko felt the cold sweat began to form about her neck, felt her clothes grow tighter as they started to stick to her body. She wanted nothing more than to collapse upon the harsh earth, and yet her legs willed her on. She had no idea how long she'd been running, though as she thought back it became less and less clear when she had first been ignited. Her eyes had become useless - the dense fog and thick woodland that hung about her every turn proved the same to her untrained eyes, and her other senses lacked the ability to examine them in any other way. There was a burden weighing down on her - an added burden, more than just the sharp pains that wrecked her physical form. She felt a panic forming in her throat as she caught a rustle behind her, urging her to sprint faster despite the sloshing muck that lay about her heels. She gasped, spurring her pace just enough to restore security. A successful right turn, and she was on her way back home. But a threat in the brush nearby, and she was right back where her journey had begun.

She was going mad. What must've started out as an innocent daytime jog through the city had turned into a whirlwind chase for sanity - an escape from a monster that Keiko didn't even know existed. She tried desperately to imagine her foe, somehow prepare herself for the danger she was undoubtedly about to face - but she could not summon it. She wanted to cry out for someone, but both her voice and her memory had left her alone. Catching a root under her shoe she fell forward, collapsing into the mud's grasp as exhaustion took her over. She felt her chest catch and heave, taking advantage of her moment of helplessness to restore breath. She squeezed her eyes closed, attempting vainly to restore the day's light. But it never came. Temporary rest overtook her, and she fought to overcome to fear that had begun to nestle inside her. She counted slowly, breathlessly, and then opened her eyes.

And then, there it was - waiting for her as it always did. For Keiko could remember now - from what source she did not know, but somehow the being brought her comfort and clarity that no other part of her journey could grant. The figure stood beyond her, past the thick brush but still within her range of few. Not tall, but seemingly so against the otherwise vacant world, the creature appeared to Keiko a saint and devil in one. Even with her blurry, newly awoken vision, Keiko could make out a woman's body - cloaked entirely by loose fabric that obviously allowed for fluid movements. From the head spewed strands of pure white - the sort of pearl only something inhumane could possess. It spread thick about her back and reached to what must've been the creature's ankles; the tresses forced, gentle movements reminded Keiko of the steady breeze that was all about her. Keiko sat up slightly, wrapping her arms around her body in attempt to disclose her from the wind - but this too was in further vain. She returned to studying the curiosity before her, and though the darkness continued to hinder her view she could still make out a few other features. Light eyes, narrowed in what must of been a saddened, serious expression loomed out, their shine coupled with a thin silver band that stretched over the woman's forehead and beneath her hair. Keiko noted some sort of clear jewel in the middle of the band, but the distance and enclosing night prevented her from assuring herself of what.

Rising slowly so as not to frighten the creature, Keiko contemplated if this would be the night. How long had she waited to meet this creature, to question the purpose of this place and to ask her who and why she was here? Keiko banished a set of shivers and began to take careful steps forward, moving as though she were approaching an easily frightened doe. She thought subconsciously about how many times it had taken her to get this close, and her mind began to race with the anxiety. The figure remained unmoved by her enclosing presence, and if Keiko hadn't known better she would have thought the woman held a distant, unarmed look in her eyes. Soon, only ten or so steps set the two apart - and Keiko was sure this would be it. Up close, Keiko felt her breath catch as the race of the one before her became clear - she was a demoness, and powerful enough for Keiko to recognize her aura. Keiko found herself growing unnerved; the creature remained unmoved despite how close she came, forcing her blank expression to prove even more intriguing than before. Soon, the gap was closed almost completely as Keiko finally brought herself face to face with the wonder that haunted her dreams.

And then, with the faintest ghost of triumph, the demoness' arms shot out to her sides - then down with a force that sparked a gust sharp enough to knock Keiko backwards. The demoness launched herself straight up into the air, orbs still full of an unseen misery that seemed to latch her serious expression indefinitely. Keiko could only stare in shock as, once again, she had been unable to capture the demon of her nightmares.

* * *

"Keiko!"

The voice was harsh on her ears, and, though slightly muted, not welcome to her hardly awake senses. She let out a groan and rolled away from the offender, swatting mindlessly with her hand.

"Keiko!" came the quiet whine again, and this time she felt hands shaking her shoulders. Keiko shook her head, mumbling what must have been an assurance that she was awake to cut it out. Idly brushing a bothersome strand from her eyes, she blinked her eyes into focus to find the one who had forced her back into the world.

"Good, you're up," smirked the voice, and she could hear the triumph oozing over the slightly lowered tone. "It's about time you got your lazy ass out of bed."  
  
It was too early for this. Far too early.

"Not - now - Yusuke," she forced the words out, eyes glaring as she fell back on her pillow. She let out a whimper of discomfort as she felt something sharp poke her stomach, sending her jolting up into a sitting position. The sharp stick protruding from her bed was her flashing reminder of just how far away from home she was, and how the next several mornings would most probably repeat this new pain.  
  
"And why not? You decide it's early enough to thrash around and wake me up, but I can't do the same to you?" Yusuke continued to sneer at her, but some almost untraceable emotion lay politely scattered about his voice - worry. Why had he been worried about her? And since when had she been thrashing?

The dream. She'd had the dream again.

Shaking her head and moving her fingers to her temples, Keiko let out a mixture of a moan and a sigh. She wasn't in the mood to deal with her dream right now. She didn't have the energy, and she hoped Yusuke didn't either.  
  
"Keiko," he urged again, putting his hands back on her shoulders and shaking her again - but both his tone and his actions were gentler this time. She looked up, meeting his eyes with her own. One look in those eyes told her that she wasn't getting back to bed, and she most certainly wasn't getting out of telling him about the dream. Sighing again, she threw up her hands and began to walk outside the little shack they'd managed to secure for the night. She kept her steps quiet so as not to awaken the others, but she had a feeling that most of them were just pretending to be asleep so as not to embarrass her further. She was even more sure of this as, when she exited, she heard a light, "Hn," echo from a corner of the room.

"So," Yusuke asked as the door clicked closed behind him. "You wanna tell me what happened?"  
  
She shrugged. "The same thing that always happens. I'm running - I still don't know from what - and then that thing appears."

"Did you see it this time?"

"No," she lied. "It was too dark."

He sighed, shaking his head as he began to kick at the dirt ground. "Wonder what it is."  
  
Keiko nodded, biting back her guilt. "Me too ... though I don't think you should worry so much. It's just a dream."

"Still sounds weird to me," he replied, turning to look at the sky. "Doesn't make sense for you to keep having it, and didn't you say it started up when we got this mission?"

Keiko nodded again, vainly wishing she'd never told Yusuke in the first place. "Just a coincidence."

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. Dreams like that don't just pop up so conveniently." He paused, and then turned to look at her - causing her to blush for reasons she couldn't begin to decipher. "And you're sure you have no idea what it is?"  
  
She opened her mouth, ready and willing to go back on her original plan and tell him every precise detail she'd encountered. But then she stopped herself, closing her eyes and shaking her head back and forth. "Nothing. All I remember is ... how shocked I always am. When I see it, I'm shocked. I don't know why, I just am. It's something ... beautiful. But I can't describe how."

"Well," Yusuke mused, "that's helpful."

Keiko glared at him. "I never asked you to help."  
  
He smirked. "You wouldn't have told me if you didn't want me to."

She threw back her head and continued to narrow her eyes. "Like I said, it's only a dream. I didn't think you'd make it into such a big deal."

"Whatever," he shrugged, grinning slightly at her. "Just tell me when you catch it."

Her eyebrows rose curiously at him. "What makes you think I'll catch it?"  
  
He smiled, closing his eyes and tilting his head back as he thrust his hands into his pockets. "You always catch what you chase."

* * *

Yusuke wasn't sure how much longer he could take. This mission had, thus far, proved itself all together tedious and beyond all boundaries of boring. In fact, it was so uninteresting that he was forgetting the entire purpose of the mission. Letting out a groan as he stretched his back, he turned to Kurama and whined."We're here to inspect the security of this village," Kurama replied unnecessarily, absently staring off into the distance. Already the village was coming into view, and from what Yusuke saw it was not even the slightest bit entertaining. Desolate and apparently inhabited by nothing by simpletons, Yusuke began to wonder if the people had called a false alarm to bring about something to amuse themselves. After all, building tiny shacks and chasing ducks in the streets had to get boring after awhile.In fact, the only possible threat to the village seemed to be the forest it sat beside - broad and lush in composure, it contrasted the village to an almost horrifying extent. Yusuke decided he wouldn't prefer to be caught alone in that forest, and that if anything was disturbing the village it was breeding in that brush. He nudged Kurama gently and pointed at the forest, which Kurama turned to and eyed.

"Let's talk to the villagers first," he said, logical as always. Yusuke grunted - he would much have preferred leaving that order of business until later. Hiei smirked at him, giving him one of those obnoxious all-knowing looks.  
  
"If you'd prefer to get yourself killed first," the fire demon sneered menacingly, "then by all means - be our sacrifice into the woods."

"Thanks, but I think I'll waste some time first. Don't want to end the visit so quickly, anyway," Yusuke snapped back. He was growing more impatient by the minute, and the endless chatter Keiko was keeping up with Botan and Yukina was hardly helping.  
  
"Could you cut that out, Keiko?" he grumbled. "It's enough of a headache just being out in this damn heat."  
  
She threw him a glare, but lowered her voice anyway. Botan stuck out her tongue at him, throwing her cyan strands back over her shoulder as she did; Yukina only blinked and tilted her head slightly in curiosity.

Kuwabara was beyond complaint. He just sort of trudged along, sometimes randomly mumbling certain ice demon's names - or just groaning out of exhaustion. Both got him snaps from Shizuru and Hiei, after which he resigned himself to a miserable shuffle.

After some time, they finally arrived at the village - at which they were met by one of the village elders, a rather plump woman by the name of Utaga Toshoka. She greeted them with a warm smile and even warmer eyes, welcoming them eagerly into their temporary home. At the sight of it, however, Yusuke couldn't help but cringe - it was hardly any different from the one they had just come from, what with its crumbling interior being covered by solely the minimal essentials needed by the group.

"I is very sorry it is not looking much better," the woman offered apologetically, noting the looks of disgust that several members were bearing. "It is all we has right now, though I is hearing you is not needing better place as you will be out catching our demons most of the time. Is I right?"

"Yeah, about those demons," Yusuke spat, "Where are they, anyway?"

The woman blinked, cocking her head slightly. "You is not seeing them yet? But they is everywhere! We cannot go anywhere without them! They follow us, they follow our shadows! They is growing restless because she is restless, and they wants to leave. They is knowing she is not happy, and they is growing greedy. They thinks she is growing weak, but she is never weak ..."

"She?" Shizuru interjected, eyes narrowing. "Who is 'she'?"

The woman blinked again, some sort of fright seeming to overtake her. "If you is not knowing who she is yet ... you is finding out soon, I is sure ..."

* * *

Her footsteps were light - silent, even, upon the hard brush that lay scattered about the forest. She felt the needles and sharp leaves attempt to gouge the bottoms of her heels, but the hardened skin retorted the efforts. The evening was darkening, but there was a sort of unusual expectance about the woods. Something about the village, something about new arrivals - she couldn't really be expected to really pay it much attention. This sort of occasion happened every now and again, usually when demon catchers paid their unwelcome visits. She had grown tired of worrying over their comings - each one seemed to prove weaker than the former.  
  
A rustle behind her caused her to halt, her left ear twitching in the direction of the noise. She allowed the wind to sink around her, waited for it to carry a clue to her. But the wind did not seem to be in her favor tonight, and she could hear it sniggering carelessly at her as it passed by her and head it the unhelpful direction. She sighed gently, turning around to meet her follower. When she caught sight of the being that had just emerged from the brush, the faintest ghost of relief swept over her body.

"Yukio," she bowed her head gently, her voice as monotone and serious as always. "I see you've managed to find me again."

He smirked easily at her, leaning lazily against one of the many trees that framed the pair. Long, ebony strands sprouted from the top of his head and rained down about his face and neck, stopped short slightly above his shoulders. His eyes were dark as well, and to her it seemed night itself had become lost in him. A knowing smile played about his face, a hint at information hidden.

"Don't I always?" he said, tone light and easy as he spoke.

"I suppose," she replied, watching him shift his weight to one foot as he crossed his legs over one another. "But then, am I really so difficult to find?"

He grinned. "When you want to be."

Her lips twitched in a possible smile, though there were no words for how true he was. After a moment of silence to honor a long forgotten past, she spoke.

"Yukio," she said, parting from the former emotion. "Have you heard of what's disturbing the village?"  
  
He nodded. "Who hasn't? The others can't stop talking about it. Damn bastards."

"Who is it that's come?" she questioned, though her curiosity sounded quite forced. "More demon catchers?"  
  
"Eh, maybe - but maybe not." There was a mischievous glint in his eye, even more mischievous than normal. "They say it might be spirit detectives, come to settle the demons down."  
  
"Spirit detectives?" she said, voice lowering as she mused.

"Yeah, spirit detectives - though not the ones you or I remember. It's some new guy and his buddies - Yusuke Urameshi or something. I heard some of the lower demons talking about him, and from the sounds of it he's pretty young."

"Whom is he journeying with?" she pressed him, somewhat entertained by the information.

"Weird group," he said, flicking a leaf off his pants. "Though they do sound like fun ... some powerful demons mixed in, I hear."

She rolled her eyes slightly. "You know what I think of your type of fun ... on all levels."  
  
He sniggered, tossing back his hair as he looked off at the village that lay beyond the boundaries of the forest.  
  
"We'll see, won't we?" he murmured, a secretive flash igniting in his dark eyes. He gave her a wink and leapt towards the sky, dancing among the tops of the trees as he carved a path for the visitors. She watched him, sole movement that of her clothes as the loose fabric whipped across her skin. With Yukio's departure, she felt that cold emotion draw over her once again. She continued to stare at the place he had stood before for some time, eyes slipping closed as she played the future over in her mind. Something she'd believed long ago to have deceased stirred inside her, a sort of warmth she'd lost in fires long past.  
  
And she was no longer alone.

* * *

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter! I'm sure things are pretty confusing right now ... as they should be! Well, if I get at least some reviews then I'll put up the next chapter - which, if things go as planned, should have a fair share of fighting. So please review - and any questions you have, I'll answer if I can. 


	2. Awakening

**Title**: More Than Words

**Chapter**: Two.

**Rating**: PG-13 for language and violence.

**Author's Notes**: Took me long enough to post this chapter, didn't it? Well, sorry about that - I just could not figure out where I wanted this chapter to go. However, it's long and things are starting to fall into place. Anyway, enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. Any new characters introduced in this story belong to me, and they will be few and far between.

* * *

The dream had changed.

Keiko had never before felt such agony. Her throat was hoarse and choked, as though a knife had raked across the inside - forcing her attempts to result in an eruption bubbling of blood. Her body itself was battered with open wounds, including deep gashes across her chest and stomach. She felt eaten alive, as though her body had been torn through fangs only to be brought back up to live through the torture. Her limbs themselves remained utterly useless, as many of her bones were shattered and sat prodding through the torn lining of her skin. Sight was a retracted blessing - she held not the will or ability to open her eyes, both due to her exhaustion and the blood that had pooled over her lids. A harsh curse rose and broiled in her throat, forcing the warm, crimson liquid to flood over her lips and trickle down her cheeks in agonizing precision.

"You shouldn't move," came a quiet voice, the tone harsh and cutting. At such Keiko froze - though the pain and blood still blinded her face she could still make out the being before her. Keiko knew the woman's voice and face by heart, understood every scar on her tainted skin - had memorized every unimaginable pain in her eyes. Her mind swam to conjure the woman's loose clothing, her light orbs and silvery white hair - and somehow the image relaxed every bleeding muscle of her wrecked body. Though nothing but a mysterious cold radiated from the woman's figure, Keiko could feel her wounds disappearing as the woman bent down a placed a haunted palm on her forearm. A wave of relief shook through her, and gentle tears streaming down her face replaced the blood that covered her eyes.

"Who are you?" she felt her body gasp, her wounds and tears fading miraculously as her eyes were allowed to open.

"I have no answer for that question," the demoness said, her tone devoid of emotion as she stepped away. "Not one that I can willingly give."

"Why do you haunt me?" Keiko choked, her tears slicing across the fragile skin of her face. "Why are you in all of my dreams?"

The demoness shook her head, turning her gaze to the sky and away from Keiko. "You've asked me a question ... that you already have the answer to."

"No ... no I don't ... I don't know anything ..." Keiko trembled, shivering horribly as she sat up and continued to stare at the woman. "Please ... please tell me..."

The demoness tilted her head downward, her lips curving into the faintest possible smile. Keiko searched her eyes, but the same shield of blank emotion coated such pools - and Keiko was suddenly aware of how cold everything around her had become. She hugged her knees to her body, her movements slow and raw as a result of her fading scars. She closed her eyes, but then the close presence of a shadow forced her lids to flutter open. The demoness was staring at her, the same broken smile hanging about her lips.

"It's time you woke up, Keiko," she said, eyes closing as she turned away from her. "And it's time I ceased to aid you in your search."

"No ... no ... don't go yet!" Keiko cried, throwing her body forward as she tried to stand. "No, I won't let you leave ... not when I'm so close..."

The demoness turned, her eyes flashing open and contracting into a vicious glare. Keiko felt her body thrown back through the air, a pained scream whistling over her throat as she felt her back slam against the ground. A soft whimper escaped her throat as she cracked her eyes open, blood once again beginning to trickle down her face.

"You continue to live in dreams," the demoness hissed, and Keiko's winced as a soft gust of wind brushed across her opened wounds, "and yet, when reality dawns, you ignore them. You ask why I haunt your dreams ... and I ask why you allow me to."

Keiko trembled once more, shock enveloping her widened eyes as she drew her arms and legs around her body. "Now!" the demoness yelled as she turned to face her in full, pushing her arms out with her palms directed towards Keiko's crumpled body. "I will ask you again, Keiko ... and you may rest assured I shall not need to ask you again. Wake ... up!"

And with this cry a great gust formed at the demoness' hands, first as a small ball of energy and then burst into a fierce tornado of air and ice. Keiko felt her body gasp as the tornado grew at the woman's hands ... until at last the great collection flew forward, blasting at her body and slicing at her skin to create a most unimaginable pain. Keiko felt her entire being scream as she was lurched within the battling wind, her figure twisted and molded upon such conditions in ways she could hardly begin to conceive. She continued with her desperate cries until at last blackness descended upon her, and the nightmare was over.

* * *

"Keiko!"

Keiko groaned; her head was pounding and she could feel the cold sweat dripping across her face. Her body was still trembling, and she felt her hands grope wildly for the covers as she squirmed upon her futon. The images and stench of blood were still strongly imprinted in her mind - and that was without remembering the looming figure she knew so well. She pressed her palm to her forehead as she rolled over, the cold liquid shocking her skin as she touched it. Slowly she forced her eyes open, and a wave of relief swept over her as she found them filled with Botan. She smiled, her chest heaving a relieved sigh.

"Botan," she whispered. "Botan ... I can't believe it. Thank goodness to be awake."

"Keiko?" Botan seemed to sigh as well, for she fell back to sitting on her knees. "Goodness, Keiko - what happened? I don't think I've ever seen you thrash about like that ..."

"I was having a ... a nightmare," Keiko said quietly, nodding to herself as she sat up. "A terrible nightmare ... but it was so real! So real ... oh, Botan - you wouldn't believe the blood ... the pain was ..."

"You ask why I haunt your dreams ... and I ask why you allow me to."

Keiko froze, the vivid voice illuminated in her mind. Her eyes widened, her fists clenching as a flashing image of the demoness flared up before her eyes. She gasped, body stiffening as sharp tears invaded the lids of her eyes.

"Keiko?" Botan moved to place a concerned hand on her friend's shoulder. "Keiko ... Keiko, what is it?"

"No ... she's right ... it's not just a nightmare ... " Keiko murmured, clutching her hands together and turning to look Botan in the eyes.

"Keiko, what are you talking about? Who's right?" Botan urged quietly, her mind beginning to swim once again with worry.

But Keiko only shook her head, turning her eyes downward as she tried desperately to come up with the answer she had been given. And then, she knew.

Her head shot up and she stood, almost throwing Botan aside as she ran to the door of the tiny cabin. Thrusting the door open she flew outside, her lips releasing a shocked cry as reality sunk in. She sunk to the dirt ground, her head shaking slowly back and forth as she clutched her hands to her chest. "No," she whispered. "How could it be ..."

"Keiko!" Botan yelled from behind her. "Keiko, what are you doing? What's wrong?"

Keiko turned and smiled at her friend as Botan knelt beside her, a knowing look playing in her eyes.

"It's the forest, Botan," she replied, her tone collected and sure. "It's always been the forest."

* * *

He was condemned.

Yukio glided across the air as many swam through water, and nothing was more comfortable to him than diving and spinning past the close brush and trees of the forest. For time was a sacred blanket of comfort - and the time he had spent living in such a forest exceeded his years spent at his birth given home. To him, the time before his current comfort was a blur - a dreadful blur that he rarely revisited. Thoughts of the past only brought rage and blood - blood that he could still feel dripping from his hands. He closed his dark eyes as he spun past a particularly fierce branch, pausing slightly in air as he heard the fabric on his sleeve slice across the sharp wood. It hadn't been torn, but the slight separation in the garment was brought immediately to his acute senses - and for a moment, it bothered him. But then he smiled, a quiet chuckle worming its way up his throat. He could already taste the invading smell of the village, and the promise intoxicated his body and spurred him forward. His dark eyes narrowed slightly as the smirk grew across his lips - he was getting closer.

There was an odd sort of air hanging out the forest, and Yukio could feel it attacking his bare face as he edged closer and closer to the forest's end. To the other demons the feeling struck nothing but fear and anxiety, but to him nothing was more entertaining. He smirked, feet catching a branch and propelling him high above the trees. In a flash he was sinking back to the ground, though he was hardly one to be latched onto by gravity. Sealing his eyes to the piercing wind he turned and whipped his body higher into the air, kicking himself forward against the currents before finally allowing himself to dive into the brush. The most recent launch had forced his sleeves up a tad, revealing the smooth skin beneath. One look closer, however, and the patterns of jagged lines and formally deep gashes could be traced. Yukio threw back his hair and gave a traditional wince as new cuts appeared from his fall, though it was more out of habit than pain. He had long forgotten pain of such a minority, as was demonstrated upon his steady land when he casually rolled his sleeves back over the trickling blood. Perhaps it was because of a level of tolerance, or perhaps it was the itching temptation that lay before him. His fingers traced lazy circles at the spot of his temples, his eyes sliding closed as he released a soft sigh. He took a moment to reflect on the past before remembering his purpose in the present, at which his eyes flew upon a mischievous grin fell across his lips. Casually he began to trace the outer border of the forest, his thoughts limited and his intentions unsure.

And then he saw them. He pulled back slightly into the shadows, studying every detail about their bodies. He could see that the one girl had a rather interesting mane of cyan, whereas the other appeared somewhat ordinary with one of a light brown. He memorized their eyes, their curves - and, most importantly, how they moved. Their movements weren't slow, but from how they collected themselves he determined that they were most certainly not the humans he was searching for. He cracked his neck, sighing gently as he turned to leave.

But when he took one last glance, he found that one of them had found his form and was staring directly at him - her body slowly rising as she began to crawl towards him. Yukio paused, his eyes widening curiously at her ... and then he knew.

"Well, well," he smirked quietly. "And here I thought you'd never come."

* * *

"I don't get it," Kuwabara complained. "Why don't we just run into the forest and find them? Where else could they be?"

"I didn't think it possible for you to appear more pathetic than you already seem," Hiei retorted icily, "but with that sort of remark you've obviously proved me wrong."

"I didn't ask your opinion, shrimp, so keep your mouth shut!" Kuwabara hissed, raising his fist and glaring down at the fire demon.

"What Hiei is attempting to say, Kuwabara," Kurama interjected calmly, "is that it would be somewhat foolish to dive into that forest without any prior knowledge."

"And the only place we're gonna get that knowledge," Yusuke said, looking around the village as he thrust his hands into his pockets, "is in this dump of a town."

"From who?" Kuwabara pressed on. "That old lady from last night already showed us that these people don't know anything!"

"True," Kurama said slowly. "She did prove to be rather ... evasive ... in her answers ..."

"But she's not the only old hag around here," Yusuke stated simply. "And that's why we're gonna poke around here first."

Hiei smirked, knowing that Yusuke was echoing his advice from the day before. "Our only problem now," he mused, "is finding a knowledgeable subject to question."

"Wait." Kurama's voice swept over them, forcing them to turn and eye their companion with befuddled curiosity. They watched him, his head turning as he took in something. Hiei promptly took up the same position, and walked back to where Kurama stood. His eyes narrowed, his head whipping back to the group. His tone was low, but somehow intrigued.

"Do you sense that, Kuwabara?"

"Demon," Kuwabara smirked, throwing his head back. "Yeah, I sense it all right ..."

Kurama nodded. "But I don't understand why they've come out of the forest ... unless they intend to bother the village, as we've been told."

"They want us to kick their asses," Yusuke glared in the direction Kurama was looking. "Then let's give them the hell they want!"

"No," Hiei hissed. "Not yet."

"What?" Yusuke turned his glare upon Hiei. "Why not?"

"Because, you fool," Hiei smirked, his eyes rolling up to smirk Yusuke from their corners. "They've been stopped."

* * *

Yes, I know - pretty cruel of me to end it there. But don't worry, the third chapter is already coming along and it should be posted within the next week. Of course, I'd really appreciate some more reviews to get up the motivation to keep working on this story (though thank you so much to my one reviewer from last time - second chapter went up because of you!) ... how about at least two for the third chapter? Until then, ask any questions you want - I'm open to most anything that doesn't ruin the plot! 


	3. The Face of Reality

**Title**: More Than Words

**Chapter: **Three.

**Rating**: PG-13 for language and violence.

**Author's Notes:** And I'm back with a new chapter! You have no idea how excited I was to get the reviews I did for the last chapter ... anyone who knows me will tell you that I was to the point of screaming in joy. This is, after all, my first fic ... and wow, it was just awesome. Here's my personalized thanks!

_Moments of Insanity: _I'm not absolutely certain that I want to divulge where they are quite yet ... though, rest assured, it will be answered in an upcoming chapter. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out, though - they are in a place where both humans and demons can reside ... though keep in mind these are demons that haven't been causing any trouble up until now (or any recent trouble, that is). Their mission was merely to investigate a small town's complaints about demons who were pestering/threatening them - a simple mission, which is what allowed the entire group to go. However, as this chapter and the next will prove, this mission is turning out to be _much _more complicated than it first appeared. I'd also think about the old woman who first met them and how she acted ... I'm giving hints here.

_Bradybunch4529: _You are so sweet! Thank you so much ... I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much! You are my prized reviewer, thank you so much!

_animegurl23: _I got both of your e-mails - did you get mine? And thank you so much - again, I'm so glad people are liking the story! Yes, Keiko doesn't get enough attention in fanfiction, does she? Don't worry - I don't plan on rushing _anything _in this story. And I will continue to update - you can count on that!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. Any new characters introduced in this story belong to me, and they will be few and far between.

* * *

Not even in her dreams could she have truly understood such a cold.

It was gripping - breathtaking, to be sure. It wrapped around her and burrowed tiny claws of cold into her skin, slicing into every pore and fiber of her body. She could feel it intoxicate her blood as it ripped along the paths of her veins - an immediate hold catching over her breath as she felt such. But there was no pain attached - if anything the feeling provoked was something above pure pain. It was a perplexity of her senses, an error in what she should've felt - for as she ran her fingers down her bare arms she found no signs of cold. It was a befuddling comfort - a cruel warmth that she couldn't begin to decipher.

In the back of her clouded mind, Keiko heard the Botan's faint plea for Keiko to return to the cabin and wait for Shizuru and Yukina to return with the others - and vaguely Keiko could make out the blurry, flitting body of Puu at her shoulders. But the pair's presence was hardly assuaging ... but that was probably because Keiko's focus was, at the moment, unwavering. And so she slowly brought her eyes up in search for the cause of her cold, and with a soft gasp she found her mistaken villain.

He was strikingly handsome with dark hair that swept across his forehead and fell in full to about the back of his neck. Playfully narrowed orbs of a similar hue peered out at her, a colour that was further reflected by his loose jacket and pants. An obvious smirk played across his lips, the expression only doted upon by the cloaked arms that rested gently across his appropriately fit figure. Keiko could see that he was not tall by any means, nor was he particularly short - his face was slightly rounded by a boyish yet matured mischief that seemed to radiate from his entire body.

But such was hardly what stole away Keiko's already trembling breath.

What did, however, was that she had already known before she looked up that it would be him who would stand before her. Something inside her had contorted and warned that the image portrayed would not be the demoness of her nightmares come alive, but another who could fill her with the same odd cold. She was curious as to how she had known, and a little unnerved at her own hidden knowledge. She felt herself drift away from his image, however, when Botan's rough shaking prodded her back to the present.

"Come on, Keiko," Botan was quietly urging her. "Let's just head back and wait for Shizuru and Yukina and everyone else ... alright?"

Keiko blushed at her friend's obvious concern for what must've appeared as a rather frail condition. She offered a smile and put her hand on Botan's, shaking her head gently as her eyes darted back to the figure's form. "Botan," she whispered. "Look over there."

Botan opened her mouth to speak, and Keiko could only assume that Botan questioned her friend's sanity. But nonetheless she turned reluctantly to look (even if only after a rather long sigh) - and when she did, a startled gasp rattled over her throat.

"Oh my god ... a demon!" Botan cried, and Keiko immediately hushed her.

"Yes, a demon!" she hissed, holding her hand over Botan's mouth. "And I have a feeling ... he knows something about this mission ..."

Keiko's eyes once again met up with the demon's, and as if on cue with her accusation a wink spread over his smirking face.

"You mean he's the one terrorizing the town," Botan nodded after Keiko had removed her hand. "Oh, where's Yusuke when you need him!"

"I know him, Botan," Keiko found herself whispering. "And ... I think he knows me."

"What?" Botan choked, her eyes going wide. "Y-You ... you know him? How?"

Keiko shook her head. "I don't know. I've never met him, but somehow ... I know him. And ... I have to talk to him."

She gathered herself and stood, and Botan followed suit - though still with her arm clinging to Keiko's.

"Keiko," she whispered, her own eyes darting suspiciously to the demon. "He's a demon."

Keiko nodded. "I know. But, somehow ... I just have to."

For some time Botan studied Keiko's eyes for a reason, but just as Keiko feared her friend would attempt to drag her back ... she released her arm.

"Well, alright," the ferry girl said reluctantly, shaking her head. "But I'm going to watch you from here in case something happens."

Keiko smiled. "Thanks, Botan."

* * *

"What do you mean she was shaking?" Yusuke yelled, his bodytrembling with rage and fear as he sprinted towards the cabin - the cabin that was, he recalled, conveniently placed a good few minutes away. _Dammit! _"How the hell am I supposed to know what that means?"

"It _means_," Shizuru panted out, a part of the others who trailed some feet behind Yusuke, "that she was shaking and groaning like she was being murdered. We didn't know what to do!"

"Dammit, Keiko ..." Yusuke groaned, spurring his pace slightly as he rounded a corner.

"We're sorry, Yusuke," he heard Yukina murmur from behind. "We left Botan with her as a precaution ..."

"No, ergh - dammit, it's not your fault I'm just ..."

_Worried about her._

But there was no time to be worried. To Yusuke, there wasn't really time for anything just then - for Shizuru and Yukina had left amid Keiko's violent thrashing, and neither could have predicted that such was merely a terribly elongated nightmare that would soon end. From what Yusuke understood, Keiko had been in some sort of unconceivable pain for well over twenty minutes - despite the girls' desperate attempts to awaken her. And so he continued to force himself onward - meanwhile avoiding the guilt of taking out his emotions on the others.

Meanwhile, Puu was busy squirming angrily in the cage that had become Botan's grasp - and none were able to begin to comprehend the door that Keiko had begun to open.

* * *

He was more intimidating up close - though, oddly, the cold remained the same ferocity. Keiko stopped some feet before him, leaving relatively little room left between them - though such a distance was still at modesty's minimum. For some time neither of them spoke and resigned to studying one another's eyes - though Keiko thought he seemed to be a good deal better at doing so than she was.

After some moments had past his eyes flickered from her to where Botan stood beyond them, a confirming look swimming about his shielded gaze.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of your company and the stare of your companion?" he said, his tone low with a mischief all about it.

"Who are you," Keiko demanded in a quiet voice, refusing to allow him to intimidate her - or for time to catch up to her. She had no idea how long ago Botan had sent Shizuru and Yukina away ... and it was a chance she did not want to take.

He seemed to perk slightly at her abrupt question, his eyebrows raising a soft degree as a greater smile infected his lips. "Who am I?" he mused, eyes tracing her. "And who would I be if I answered the questions of a woman I have only just met?"

It was a dare.

"I know _what_ you are ... I'm not a fool," she almost hissed the words, but choked slightly at the foreign tone upon her lips. "But I'd like to know _who_ you are."

He opened his mouth at this to answer quickly with some biting mockery, but then closed it slowly as he gave it a second's thought. His lips pursed slightly as he continued to stare at her, making her feel a good deal uncomfortable as he did. Then a smirk lit up across his face and he grinned - though his eyes remained unwavering as he continued to study her.

"This is not the only thing you'd like to know," he replied, ignoring her former question by presenting his own. "Is it?"

Keiko shook her head, a scowl creeping in her soul but not quite making it to her face. "No. I'd like to know ... I'd like to know about the others in the forest."

He nodded gently, and Keiko could tell by his somewhat bored expression that the question was not new. But, after some time, his eyes filled once more with light - and he took once more to viewing her with an amused curiosity.

"There's not much to know, really," he countered, coating his response with a deliberately false apathy. "We're demons, aren't we? I'm sure you know plenty of stor-"

"I want to know about _her_," Keiko said, unable to control her annoyance as the question bubbled forth off her lips. A warm apprehension was brewing inside her; it was an anxiety that was ignited whenever she was just close enough to something ... but couldn't quite grasp it.

At this, he stopped. The smirk was wiped from his face, a look of cold shock overtaking his features. After some time his eyes narrowed and his face of mischief returned - though somehow his small smile held an unspoken hint of resentment.

"I'm afraid," he replied, his eyes narrowing slightly as he spoke , "that you'll have to be more specific if you'd like any answers from me ... I'll be the first to prove that bloodthirsty _demons _are hardly trustworthy ..."

"I don't have times for games," Keiko heard herself whisper undauntedly, though such was merely a mask. In the back of her mind she felt the fear slink across her body as he took another step towards her, and she could see that now his eyes held a depraved glint - and a wealth of shouldered prejudice and hatred tumbled forth from his gaze and into her own.

"No time for games?" he leered, a sort of evil giggle slithering over his lips. "What a dreadful way to live ..."

She was about to speak when a jolt of reality sliced through her body - Yusuke's voice rang out from some distance away. She whirled around, cursing her poor fortune. She could not make him out quite yet - and she could only hope that he had paused at the cabin and would be delayed just a minute longer. Whipping her head around to face the demon she found a look of unceasing amusement painted vividly in his eyes - a sickening gaze that made Keiko's stomach and heart turn.

"Ah, I see now ... friends of yours, I assume?" he simpered, the same mocking chuckle rolling off his cool lips. "Well then ... I suppose it's time we drew this little meeting to a close, don't you?"

"No!" Keiko cried, her hand flying out to grab the sleeve of his coat as he turned. His eyes swiveled to meet her own, widening gently as she flushed and drew back her hand.

"You can't go," she spat with disdain to cover up for her former folly, "because you haven't told me anything yet."

He smiled - if for the first time out of compassion - down at her, slowly digesting the sincerity of her situation.

"Now, then - there's no need to fret. I sincerely doubt this will be our last meeting ... as you'll soon understand that I can make quite a habit of interfering in business that isn't my own ... particularly when such a charming woman is in need of my help ..."

Keiko couldn't stand his useless banter at such a time - for when her head flew back behind her, her eyes could easily make out Yusuke's approaching silhouette.

"Oh, and by the way ..." she heard the demon murmuring, though she didn't bother to turn and meet his gaze as worry overtook her, "be sure to tell Koenma that the demon hybrid _Yukio_ sends his regards." He placed particular strength on the name - which, as he obviously sounded out, belonged to him. But such was not the name that snared Keiko's attention.

_Koenma?_

Keiko shook with bewilderment and spun to meet him with her questioning gaze ... but all that remained before her was the poisoned memory of a vacated shadow.

* * *

Man, am I cruel or am I _cruel_? Sorry to end it so soon again guys - but don't worry, the fourth chapter is coming soon. But first I'll clear up some things in this chapter for everyone.

Basically, Botan sent Shizuru and Yukina to go fetch Yusuke after they weren't able to wake Keiko up during her obviously violent dream - meaning they didn't know that Keiko had woken up. Keiko spotted Yukio, the demon from the previous chapters who decided to go and find out more about the 'mysterious spirit detective and gang' who had arrived at the village. She proceeded to talk to him - asking for his name and about the demons in the forest ... but their little meeting was split up when Keiko saw Yusuke coming towards them. But before the demon departed he gave Keiko his name ... and the information that he was a demon hybrid.

Now what in the world does that mean? I know ... heheh.

ALSO - I am quite aware that Keiko loves Yusuke, and I have no intent to pair her with anyone else. If you haven't already begun to grasp Yukio's personality and that this is just him ... you will soon. Trust me.

I think I've blabbed enough. Any questions? How about we shoot for ... five reviews to get chapter four up. Just two more than last time, so it shouldn't be so hard. Hope you guys enjoyed this one!

* * *


	4. The Killing Kind

**Title**: More Than Words

**Chapter**: Four.

**Rating**: PG-13 for language and violence. _Not to be taken lightly. Rating will be exercised to a certain extreme in this chapter._

**Author's Notes**: Oh my gosh - so sorry it's so late! I'm sure some of you were ready to give up and say I was just another author starting a fic and only getting three chapters in ... but here I am! This chapter was just hard to get out, what with Thanskgiving and other things that needed to be done. It's also gone through some extreme changes - I've reworked the entire thing roughly six times. Originally you were going to get a bit more information, but it seemed like too much and just didn't belong. But anyway, onto the review thanks and then to the story!

_animegurl23:_ Aw, but I love cliffhangers! Don't worry - the fourth chapter should make up for it. Or, I think it will, at least.

_Bradybunch4529:_ I was waiting for your review! Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have no idea how happy your reviews make me - my pride swells when I read them. I'm glad the characters are filling out so well - and yes, don't we all feel sorry when Yusuke takes a back seat? Tell me if our demoness and demon are coming along just as well, won't you? And thank you again - consider this chapter written for you.

_animegrl15_: I'm glad you like it so much! We can only hope it does, can't we?

_darkangel626:_ Your review made me giggle. Thank you so much!

To all my reviewers (and silent readers), I truly do extend all my gratitude and love. You keep this story coming, and I'm forever in debt to people with the power to keep me writing.

* * *

She loathed the scent of blood.

It was all around her, staining her hands and body as it ran foreign trails across her skin. She knew many demons that found the scent's intoxicating trait sickeningly delicious, but she was not such a demon. She was only irritated by its rapturous quality and took no pleasure in releasing or tasting the crimson fluid, but her life was not filled with choices that allowed her topick between things she liked and did not. And so she came to stand there, her body and face a mask of blank emotion - the actions she had just gone through had become so monotonous that she found no pain or remorse. From behind her she could hear the choking being whose blood now tainted her flesh, his voice clogged with the raw fluid. He was not a particularly talented demon, but heavily muscled and a good deal taller than she. He was oddly quick with wide, glaring orbs of black that did nothing to compliment his tawny skin. She sighed quietly, not turning to face the being whose pools of blood were forming beside and behind her.

"You're a fool, Ronin," she said quietly, her tone harsh and unvarying. "You should have known I would not allow this."

She could hear that the demon was attempting to draw himself up, though judging from the groans that crackled out over his torn lips she assumed that the particularly deep gashes she had inflicted across his stomach and legs were preventing him from doing so. She continued to stare off into the sky, ignoring his murmured curses.

"You think I'm weak," she continued, voice unchanged as she spoke. "Weak because I forbid the slaughter of humans, and weak because of the rumors you hear. When I do not respond to your black chatter, you believe you have your proof of my supposed fault - and you act upon it to fulfill the wild, sick fantasies that curse your dreams. But I am not weak, nor do I need to showcase such to you or your scheming companions. I wait ... wait until I see that there is reason, and then we end with a scene such as this. Should I take your life? I probably should - there is no doubt in my mind that you are deserving of death. But to give into my instincts - to allow my own bloodlust to drive me ... _that_, Ronin, is true weakness. And so I will let you live - I will leave you here until your simpering comrades come to collect your tattered body. I have no doubt that they will simply claim fault in your original plan, and new rumors will fuel you to attempt this again. But I don't mind. I have done this for some time, Ronin, and I have not changed - and it is that truth that will be your own downfall."

He had come to stand and was raising his sword, though with a lack of any coordination or skill. He was continuing the battle out of pride, and as he staggered towards her she sighed. When he was within inches he brought the sword above her head, but before he could crash it down over her skull she turned to him with narrowed eyes. Rage swam in her usually devoid orbs - a rage that struck a bursting cord of fear in him. A malign, numbing pain filled his stomach as bubbles of crimson erupted from his lips - a crippling blow that had been so precisely executed it escaped his view. He fell backwards, the sword falling to pierce the ground beside him. Beneath his ribs, poking out from where they had stabbed through his skin and muscle tissue, were two long blades made completely of an unmelting ice. Their shape was something resembling jagged, diamond-shaped daggers; their tips were fierce and fatal.

"You'll note," she hissed, eyes clouding over once again as she eyed his unconscious figure, "that I missed your vitals. Mercy is not a weakness, Ronin ... you'll come to understand that in time."

And with one last nod she turned from him, white hair catching the wind and floating just above her knees. She sighed as she crossed out of the scene, the smell of blood still lingering as it clung to her skin and clothing. She ignored it and instead took to looking about, eyes searching for some sort of distraction from the stains. A low growl filled her throat as her eyes caught the sky, a desperate longing immediately spilling into her. She shook her head, willing it to leave as her legs spurred their pace. She shut her eyes, but somehow the sky still found her. It was calling her - but she would not respond. Her attention turned to burying her emotions, for exposed they could perform dangerous actions.

She would not allow any emotion - not longing, not pain, not hope. She was to remain an empty shell and she was to accept only what she knew she could contain. She was ...

"There you are," came a smirking voice, glinting eyes obviously examining her bloodied body. "And here I was thinking you might have actually taken a night off."

She stopped, body straightening slightly as his voice slithered across her spine. From the corner of her light eyes she could make out his body pressed against the shadows, and as she watched his figure shift she was suddenly covered in a mass of memories. Hardly fond or dear, she felt a frown overtake her lips as her past reflections trailed across her mind. Most of them were hardly pleasurable to recollect, involving a fair share of incidents that she could attach to visible scars on her body. A soft rustle beside her jogged her back to the present, her head turning to meet his approaching figure with calm.

"Yukio," she said, cocking her head slightly so that her gaze was towards the darkening sky. "How old are we?"

He blinked at her question, moving his own head to look curiously at her eyes. He shrugged, a small smirk once again capturing his lips. "I'm not particularly sure, to be honest. A couple centuries, maybe?"

She sighed, head shaking from side to side as one of her hands was brought to her forehead. She could feel some of the dried blood crack at the touch, the hardened fibers moving to fall from her skin. "Of course," was her simple reply. "How could I forget?"

A gentle laugh echoed from the demon's throat as his head bowed to look at the ground. Her eyes moved to watch his behavior from their corners, her body remaining turned away from him. "Easily, I'm afraid," he told her. "It's easy to forget centuries - not so easy to forget days, though." He paused here, kicking his foot idly in the ground. A soft exhale passed out of him as he continued, dark orbs falling closed as he did. "Nostalgia's a bitch, after all."

She smirked, her head falling in a silent nod. She didn't feel the need to reply, for there truly wasn't anything to say. Instead she let silence say the words she couldn't, allowing her soul to soak in the sincerity of moments she had long since thought she had come to live without.

"So," Yukio said after some time, his own voice sounding somewhat distracted. "You wanna tell me whose blood that is?"

She shook her head. "Not particularly. Not my own, though."

"I figured as much," he said, smirking at an answer he had obviously suspected. "Did you kill them?"

"No," she replied simply.

"You never do, so I guess I can't really be disappointed," he chuckled in response, the glint of his white fangs catching her eyes as she watched him.

Her lips twitched lightly as though prepared to smile at his response, light orbs sliding closed. "And what of you, Yukio? How have you kept yourself busy today?"

He shrugged, a faint smirk lighting up over his lips and eyes. "Well, I met a girl."

"Not surprising," she replied honestly. "And what are your plans for this unfortunate woman?"

"Though I do cherish your concern," he grinned, a mischievous knowledge radiating about his orbs, "I have no plans with her - romantically, at least."

Her head bowed and turned to look at him as she spoke, a grave seriousness suddenly overtaking her features. "One of the humans?"

He nodded, another silence descending upon them. Her eyes had trailed back to the sky, a similar desire pressing against her heart as she drank in its splendor. A heavy darkness had infected the day, and with it she could make out every burst of spectacular energy painted into the wealth above her. Subconsciously she had taken to running her fingers up and down her arms, her skin shivering at an unspoken promise.

Beside her she could see Yukio had taken on a similar look, his gaze distant.

"We will taste freedom again," he said quietly, soft determination cloaking his features. "I know we will."

She chuckled lightly, shaking her head as a delicate ghost of a smile hung about her lips.

"Perhaps," she said quietly, eyes sliding closed. "Perhaps we will."

* * *

Keiko could hardly bring herself to appreciate the distant, guilty sort of behavior Botan was exhibiting. Obvious second thoughts had invaded the ferry girl's mind, and it did little to lift Keiko's anxious mood. Although Yukio had issued no sort of attack, Keiko noticed that Botan had become rather jumpy - particularly around herself. She further noted that since Yukio's mysterious entrance three days previous that Botan was spending her time in constant thought - and when she wasn't engaging in such she was following Keiko (rather inconspicuously, she might add). Botan denied any oddity in her behavior, of course, but Keiko couldn't help but develop a slight annoyance at the blatant deceit of such an answer.

Yusuke had been rather himself about the incident, or at least afterwards. When he had first reached Keiko he had stood there in a sort of stunned stupor - eyes darting from where Yukio had stood and back to Keiko. She remembered mumbling a sort of apology, catching the worry in his eyes and flinging her arms across his neck. He had embraced her in return - a clinging, fierce hug that didn't want to let her go. She could still recall the gasp that had swept up inside her at his tight hold, and a small flush fell across her face when she remembered it. She had wanted nothing more than to tell him everything - from the demoness in her dreams to the haunting cold of both her nightmare and reality. She had broken from him and found his eyes, but though her mouth opened, the right words would not come. She found a partial silence descend again and once again omitted the entire truth. When Keiko had described Yukio and the baffling familiarity that had drawn her to him, she had been almost relieved when he accepted Kurama's offered explanation that Yukio might have used some low level sort of mind control. She had persisted and told also of the demon's peculiar farewell and the mention of Koenma, and at that Yusuke had frozen in place. But Kurama shook this off, too - no doubt, he claimed, many of the demons had been alerted to their presence in the village and were also aware of who had sent this. Yusuke found this suitable as well and went on to shrug Yukio's slight interference off as ordinary ... but Keiko, naturally, couldn't shake the memory off so easily.

And neither, it seemed, could Botan.

She had been considering all this while lying outside on their tiny porch, her small body splayed across the wooden bench. Her eyes were closed, a gentle peace catching her. It was a rare moment; the rest of the group was inside (or most, at least - Hiei and Kurama had gone back into town to examine the houses closest to the forest's edge) hashing out their current information - which, unfortunately, was terribly limited. She could make out the quiet hum of their voices, in particular Yusuke's. Botan's, however, was unheard - and this brought a certain amount of discomfort to Keiko. She sat up, frowning - or attempted to, for as she did she almost collided with another face. She let a strange yelp, but a hand on her mouth quickly quieted her.

"See! I told you she was up!" was the response that was spat at her.

"K-Koenma?" she managed, eyes widening profusely as she recognized the tone and then the leering face. "You ... I mean you're ..."

"Koenma!" she heard Botan cry, and her eyes turned to find the ferry girl hovering some feet behind Koenma on her oar. The cyan-haired girl quickly hopped up, eyes narrowed at the Reikai prince. "Just because she's awake doesn't mean you can put your face-"

"We don't have time for this, Botan!" he said, waving his hand impatiently as his eyes rolled. Keiko felt her throat clench slightly as he turned his attention back to her, his mahogany orbs still glaring into her own.

"K-Koenma, what are you doing here?" she managed with a slight gasp, moving to sit up as he straightened and took a step back.

Koenma sighed and crossed his arms, obviously rather annoyed. Keiko got the feeling that Botan had forced him into a tense situation that would not blow over well with his father - at least, if he found out.

"I am here," he began, "because Botan did some pretty decent name dropping."

"Name ... dropping?" Keiko mumbled dumbly, thoroughly confused. Her eyes shot to the window, but it seemed that no one had taken notice yet of anything happening beyond the shaded windows. Her orbs then moved to find Botan, who was flushing fiercely and was nervously pushing a few strands out of her eyes.

"Keiko," Koenma said, his tone suddenly pressing. "You say you met a demon in the forest. What did he say?"

"Um," Keiko stammered weakly. "He said that ... that the demon hybrid Yukio - I think that was his name from how he said it - sent his, er ... regards to ... you."

Koenma's eyes widened, his face taking on an almost fearful look. He turned to look at Botan, who wore an equally apprehensive expression. His head shook slightly from side to side, his forefingers moving to rub at his forehead.

"What?" Keiko questioned him, eyes blinking in confusion as they flitted between the two. "What's going on?"

"You have to understand," Koenma said quietly, "that Yukio ... if he is the demon you met ... was not the type of man to stand by and have idle chatter with, well, _anyone_."

"I don't understand," Keiko said, brow rising.

"He's a murderer, Keiko," came Botan's voice, abrupt and miserable. "And a good one at that."

"A - A what?" Keiko exclaimed, her own hand moving to grip her chest in shock. "But ... but he didn't-"

"He did tell you," Koenma interrupted, "that he was a demon hybrid?"

Keiko nodded. "Yes, but what is that?"

"A demon whose heritage contains differing elements," Botan offered.

Koenma confirmed her response as correct with a nod of his own head. "In other words, his parents were different types of demon. Needless to say, hybrids are pretty rare. Not many are able to become very powerful, even though they have enormous potential. They usually focus too heavily on one element, or are unable to train their bodies as they may not match their elements ... but, sadly, Yukio was not a member of that condition. He was extremely powerful - and an anger management case to boot. For some time, we knew nothing of him - he existed pretty much unknown. And then ... he snapped. Murdered his parents to start - which isn't particularly uncommon for demons, you'll remember - and then began killing off other demons. Not big on torture, if I remember - more on how fast he could get them out of his way."

"Was ... was he arrested?" Keiko inquired, voice shaky as she clutched her throat. Had she really been inches from death? It wouldn't be the first time. But somehow, the description just didn't fit.

Koenma shook his head. "We may have started noticing him, but we didn't focus on containing him. He wasn't killing off any humans - though he was in the environment to do so as he lived in Ningenkai. Things were, er - less controlled back then. I guess you could say he was doing us some sort of a twisted service ... after all, he was killing off illegal demons from Makai."

"And he wasn't illegal?" Keiko asked dryly.

Koenma waved his hand. "He hadn't caused trouble before, and his family had gotten special permission before - there was no reason to force his family back when there were other things to worry about." He paused to collect his thoughts. "Anyway, then he became something we couldn't ignore. We got reports of demons supposedly provoking him by merely standing in a certain place, and things were set in motion to capture him until he settled down. But then ... something enormously odd happened. He came to us - or more specifically, to me."

The prince turned his body and eyes to Keiko, who went slightly rigid at the notice. "Keiko ... describe him, please. I want to make sure this is him before I go on."

"Um," Keiko choked, cursing inwardly as she spurred her lips to move. "He was ... average height, I guess. Dark - sort of long I guess - hair, dark eyes, dark clothes ... pretty thin, but really fit I'd say ... he was plain, I guess - no, actually, not plain ... but you know - not the whole big, blue and bloody demons we usually see."

Koenma nodded. "Handsome?"

Keiko blushed slightly, not daring to look up. "Erm, I suppose so ..."

"That sounds like him, then," Koenma sighed, shaking his head gently as he continued. "Women don't tend to forget his face, as demonstrated by Botan ... anyway, he came to me. Alone and disguised, but once he showed himself for who he was I truly thought I was done for. But then he made an odd request ... a request for a peculiar object - a sort of demon binding called 'power leeches'. They're demon handcuffs ... truly nasty things - they resemble a ring of black leeches, with little 'legs' that attach themselves inside a demon's skin and contract to regulate their power at a level almost equal to that of a strong - but powerless - human. Once the power leeches are removed the demon's power is restored to its entirety, and only a key is needed to unlock them. They were hardly rare and out of use, but it was his reasoning that was even more striking. He claimed that he wanted to secure _himself_ - he said that he no longer trusted his own bloodlust, and that if he did this than he might be able to clear his murky conscience. I could not have asked for a better answer, for I didn't really want to condemn a man who had, in the long run, only done me a favour. I released him with the object ... but several weeks too late I realized that I might of well have killed him. Yukio was a feared demon, but powerless he would turn into a tool for vengeance. It was a burden I dealt with for some days, but I soon forgot and, after awhile, just accepted him subconsciously as dead. But now, to hear that he is alive and living in a forest filled with demons ... well, the item I gave him was without fault and, as I have the key ... he should have been devoured."

"What if he just didn't use the item?" Keiko ventured. "Perhaps he just sold them on the black market, or figured out a way without them."

But Koenma shook his head. "Any retailer would know that the item is tweaked to work only on its set demon's blood. It was, originally, a tool for our jails ... and we would not have been stupid enough to allow for swapping of our prisoners, even if they managed to get a hold of the key." He paused once more. "And as for simply abandoning them ... Yukio had gotten to the point where he was shaking before me from the absence of blood. He was, in a sense, rabid - and there was nothing he could do otherwise."

"And you still have that key?" Botan asked. "There's no way he could've released himself?"

Koenma reached into his coat and retracted a navy coloured box, opening it slightly so that the key within could be seen - it was coated in a black paint, though in the middle its length was covered by an aged splatter of deep red. Further investigation showed that the key itself was shaped like a painted leech, and Keiko felt herself cringe as she imagined the actual cuffs.

"I know this is his," Koenma said quietly, pointing meanwhile to an inscription on the key. "Because he signed it in his blood."

Keiko resisted the urge to wince as she looked away from the key, her eyes finding the forest. A question bubbled up in her lips as she found the woods, and she turned to Koenma.

"Is that why they can be here in Ningenkai as well?" she wondered aloud, and he replied with an odd look. "I mean ... a forest full of demons. They're here because they've never caused trouble, and now that they are ... we're here. All we were supposed to do was quiet them up and cut off the ones who were behind the trouble ..."

"... But it looks like it won't be that easy now," Koenma grumbled, his eyes moving to eye the door of the cabin, and as he did Keiko was suddenly aware of what the mission's seeming simplicity had meant to them. But no one would back out, and she alone had any sort of a lead ... would she take the chance and endanger the others? No, she wouldn't. This would be done alone.

Her eyes fell closed as she imagined the demoness of her dreams, and somehow the image filled her with a determination she hadn't had before. Yukio's face also appeared before her closed eyes, his playful grin dancing around her head. She shook the images away and allowed her eyes to open, no longer paying attention to Koenma and Botan as they disappeared into the cabin to inform the others. She was not quite decided on how, precisely, she would go about her given task - but that could be decided by the visions that were sure to visit her tonight. Though her sleep had been dreamless as of late (or at least as she could remember), there had been a Yukio's word that he would return. And so instead she clung to Yukio's promise to see her again, hoping that the next time they met she would receive some actual answers - not riddles that only provoked buried demons to rise once again.

But then, riddles were only that much more fun to solve.

* * *

And there it is! I made it rather long to, partly, make up for how long it took - but also because this is the story's first 'informative' chapter. It might be a bit confusing now and if you have any questions feel free to ask - but for the most part that is sort of supposed to mimic how Keiko must be feeling. Anyway, the fifth chapter is coming along nicely ... but it might come along quicker with more reviews, don't you think? 


	5. Mischief and Murder

**Title:** More Than Words

**Chapter:** Five.

**Rating:** PG-13 for language and _violence_. Rating will be exercised to its extreme in this chapter and is _not_ to be taken lightly.

**Author's Notes:** Eek, oh my goodness I am so sorry! I have been stretched so thin lately that I have just not had time for _anything_! Ergh, I feel so terrible! You should all know that this chapter was positively evil to write, though - it went through about five drafts and a long period of writer's block before it came out to where I actually liked it. I'm quite satisfied now, though, and it's rather long so ... I hope it makes up for my absence! Also, I'm repeating the above warning but - _do not take the rating lightly!_ There will be _heavy violence _in this chapter. Anyway, on to my lovely (and hopefully patient) reviewers!

_Bradybunch4529: _Once again your review made me squee in joy! I'm ecstatic that you're enjoying them, and I must say that I am giggling at a certain part in your review. You almost made me spoil! Eek, yes - this chapter will definately give you some more demon action ... and maybe, if you've been paying attention, a hint into Keiko's role.

_Katana no Youkai Okami: _Oh, thank you so much! Yes, Yukio is a favourite of mine as well. And ah, thank you for alerting me to that! I was thinking I might have ... I'm actually going through and replacing that word because it bothered me so much. Hehe, thanks again!

_animegurl23:_You sound so disappointed! However, there was quite a lot to be said in those 'big paragraphs' ... sorry to hear that and hope this chapteris better for you.

_animegrl!5: _Ugh, yes - unfortunately I have noticed that problem as well. I'm looking into it, and thank you! Sorry you had to wait up for this ... I actually had this chapter posted when you were up but, alas, it didn't become visible until this morning.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. Any new characters introduced in this story belong to me, and they will be few and far between.

* * *

The blessing of dreamless sleep did not continue.

She watched him emerge from the forest's cloak into a small clearing, the glint of his cold eyes sparking in the descended night. She noticed immediately the putrid stench of blood, but due to the pitch black of the evening could not yet make out his form. A low grunt alerted her to a wider shadow that hung from his hands, the feet of such dragging upon the ground. The figure was drenched in crimson, and as the pair moved forward Keiko could see that his left leg had been cut from his body. The slit limb dangled and wept fluid onto the already stained dirt, and as the two moved under the moonlight Keiko winced at the mangled being. He could not see her, for she was but a visitor in a memory, but with vivid clarity could she make out every gash in his face and remaining limbs.

"Yukio," she whispered, voice choked. She knew he could not hear her - over the past nights she had come to understand this - but every new scene forced a sickness upon her soul. "Yukio ... what have you done ..."

The mentioned demon wrenched his arm backwards, releasing the captive and sending him hurtling into a nearby tree. A tangled moan found the air above the mangled creature, his arms moving to hug his body in pain after he crashed. Yukio stalked forward and reached down to claim the man's throat with his hand, bringing him up once more so that the demon's eyes were locked on his own. Keiko realized he was burying his claws into the demon's neck, tearing through both skin and muscle as blood continued to escape from the dying creature's body.

"You fucking bastard," Yukio hissed as he continued to force life from the demon. "I asked you a question. Where the hell is she?"

The demon made something like a gargling sound in response, causing Yukio to knee him viciously in the groin. His grip slackened slightly on the man's throat, but only so that he was able to move one of his coiled fists to the man's chest. His fingers fanned out so that the whole of his palm was resting on the bare flesh, causing the man's eyes to wince in anticipation. A layer of frost began to develop under Yukio's fingers, spreading so that they engulfed most of the man's chest and stomach. The frost then developed into a layer of fierce ice, freezing the limbs as the amount of skin covered continued to grow. The man let out a cry from the wretched torture, but was silenced when Yukio's other hand forced the breath from his throat. The ice continued to consume the demon's upper body, and with bitter realization Keiko understood that Yukio's intention was deprive the man's heart of oxygen by freezing the area, thus forcing his body to collapse from lack of blood circulation.

Yukio then suddenly pulled back, dropping the demon so that he crumbled to the ground. The creature wheezed, shivering uncontrollably as his body desperately tried to find warmth. Yukio glared down at him in disgust before unsheathing a sword that lay in a belt about his waist, drawing it up and then driving it down through the demon's chest cavity. A faint, final gasp of pain vibrated through the air - echoed only by the crackling of the ice as it broke from the blade's impact. Then all was silent, save the ghostly sound of blood bubbling forth and splaying across the frozen layer that blanketed the victim's skin.

Had Keiko not witnessed similar scenes previous to this one, her throat might have produced a horrified screech. As it was, however, only a whimper managed over her lips, eyes sliding closed as warm tears fell across her cheeks. She sank to the ground, hugging her body as her ears picked up the sound of a sword being yanked harshly from a body. Slow, comfortable footsteps began in the opposite direction, the corpse left to melt into the dirt.

Her body sank into the ground, the thick stench of blood seeping into its core as it ran hissing trails through the mud. She had nothing to do but wait for the memory to cease, and as she did her silent tears were joined by the steady dance of rain.

* * *

Keiko awoke in a cold sweat, the sound of the pounding rain echoing all about the thin walls and roof of the cabin. She clutched her hand to her chest, eyes blinking away the images that lay in faint sheets across the lids. It was still dark outside, but no doubt at least early morning. Keiko gave a silent yawn, sitting up slightly as her eyes took to scanning the sleeping forms of her companions. A small smile found her lips, her face and body turning to view the outside from the covered window. Against the curtain her eyes strained, barely able to make out the outlines of the neighboring houses. A sigh fell across her lips as she imagined the forest beyond them, subconsciously bringing the sheets that covered her body up to her chin.

She had been waking up like this rather often as of late, mostly due to the current content of her dreams. Her body and mind had adapted to the flow of such episodes, and she had slowly worked her way up to acceptance. She had no idea where her mind had taken the memories from, or if they were just her own soul's adaptation of Yukio's past. She very much believed the latter theory, for the Yukio of her nightmares was a torn being from the one she had met. Rage and rash actions contrasted calm and suggestive ones, making it increasingly difficult for Keiko to accept her nightmares as more than childish fright. And yet ... the reality ... and the constant cold ...

Somewhere close to her Yusuke's body stirred, eyes opening slowly to focus on her. He blinked for a moment, as she had done, before yawning and shaking his head at her. He mumbled something along the lines of, "What the hell are you doing up?" before covering himself completely with the blankets he had been provided with. Keiko smiled to herself, allowing her head to fall back on her pillow of choice. It was too early to think about the problems the night kept, or the accursed torture the day would provide. She, Yukina, Shizuru, and Botan had taken up the bothersome task of questioning villagers - all of whom appeared somewhat scatter-brained to Keiko. Meanwhile the others had taken to investigating portions of the forest, but they had not gone deep enough in to encounter any major demons. They were merely testing the waters, possibly even provoking ... trying to lure out any of the demons. Or, more specifically, Yukio.

Keiko had not kept secret her dreams of late. She did not want Yusuke to face Yukio unprepared if he were the murderer of such stories, and though she thought little of her dream's accuracy they were at least _something_. After all, Koenma's files gave nothing about Yukio's attacks - those who came in contact with them never survived to tell of them, anyway. Besides, Keiko might have exploded if left to deal with the information on her own.

_"You fucking bastard. I asked you a question. Where the hell is she?"_

Yukio's hiss echoed across the bowels of her memory, but the sound was not alone. A sudden noise just outside the front door jolted Keiko upright once more, arms moving instinctively around her front as she took to biting her lip. Her eyes darted around to eye the bodies of her companions, and at once she noticed Kurama was already awake and moving slowly to stand. Of course, she told herself. It would make sense for Kurama to have already picked up on the noise. No doubt Hiei had too, though from his perch in a tree outside Keiko had no knowledge of his reaction. A shiver shot through her, eyes unable to lift from Kurama's form as he moved to quietly alert Yusuke and Kuwabara to the descending noise - which Keiko now believed to be footsteps.

With a sudden burst the door flew open, the cold of the rising morning hurrying to greet them. A young boy appeared, his hair untidy and his clothes ragged. His eyes bore exhaustion and fear, a thin layer of sweat coating his exposed skin. He whimpered, gasping out as though ropes had chained his throat. Kurama and Yusuke hurried to stabilize him, but he shook away their help. Beside her Keiko heard Botan gasp; the others had obviously been awoken by the noise.

"No ... time ... they've taken her!" the boy managed, shaking with emotion as he gripped his tiny fists together. He looked to be no older than ten.

"Taken who?" Kurama asked calmly. "And who has taken them?"

"Demons ... demons have taken her ... my sister …" the boy panted, groaning as he moved his hands to his own forehead to wipe away the collected moisture. "They said ... they said you would help her ... help us ... they've never come into the village before ... why ... why!"

Keiko watched Yusuke and Kurama exchange looks, then turn to Kuwabara who had come to stand nearby.

"Where are they?" Yusuke asked, consciously pushing up the sleeve on his arm.

"Near the ... near the edge ... I'll take you ..." the boy continued to struggle, but nonetheless began to hurry away from the hut. Yusuke, Kurama and Kuwabara took no time in waiting around, and no doubt Hiei was already near the scene. Keiko rose to her feet and started for the door, conscious that the other girls also had taken strides behind her. Yusuke turned his head at the sound of her footsteps and opened his mouth to say something, but she only shook her head and spurred her steps to keep up with him.

"No way, Yusuke. We're coming, so don't even try."

* * *

The scene was unmistakable, perhaps even overdone to Yusuke's eyes. Crimson and flesh lay about both the wind and the ground, familiar in both appearance and scent. A line of demons was spread before the ground where the forest met the village, all carrying the usual peculiarities of such creatures. Those that looked particularly human kept to the front and back, the obvious strength of the operation. Towards the front stood one of the most gruesome, his slightly pinkish figure doused in muscles and scars. His mane of black ran in wild patterns from his skull and down his neck and spine, where at some point in time it wove permanently into cut flesh on his bare back. His eyes were crude and harsh, glaring proud daggers into the collected crowd of humans that had crawled from their homes to fearfully view the display. His great hand was fastened around the neck of a young woman - typical of chosen captives and no doubt the sibling the boy had described previously. She was rather plain but possibly beautiful by the small town's standards - but with the amount of blood that had been cut from her body and splayed over her figure it was hard to honestly distinguish why. Her long hair lay in tangles about her shoulders, ripped and streaked with mud. Occasionally her mouth would spill forth whimpers and tears would carve fearful paths across her cheeks, but other than that she could deal little but tremble at the demon's hold. The only true danger or challenge of the situation lay with the girl, then, Yusuke thought. After a way of retrieving her had been concocted, defeating the other demons would be almost painfully simple. There was not much to them, after all - or at least not that he could be see.

The crowd parted easily as he and the others began to move through them. Momentarily the whispering ceased as all eyes swerved to rest on such a mysterious crew - or at least it did until a group of women took up the liberty of identifying them as the village's 'protectors'. Then the voices grew louder than the previously had, sounding terrible and obnoxious to Yusuke's ears. He smirked as a growl sounded from the back of their pressing line, the voice no doubt belonging to a rather annoyed and crowded fire demon. Yusuke's small distraction was cut short, however, when a choking groan sounded from the demon's hold. His eyebrows went up slightly as he moved ahead of the crowd at last, coming to stand some feet in front of them. Beside him their young guide had collapsed to the ground in whimpers, mumbling uselessly a stream of indistinguishable words.

The demon's lips curved to form a sick grin, obviously relishing in the blood that spilled from the depths of the girl's throat. Yusuke's eyes narrowed at the sight, fists clenching harshly at his sides. The demon was like most others - greedy and most definitely bloodthirsty. And from the proud look in his eyes, such satisfaction was long overdue.

"Well, well," the demon smirked, voice deep and almost husky. Yusuke watched as the demon ran a long, jagged nail under the girl's chin - savouring her quiver as he collected a sample of her blood on his finger. He raised his hand so that it was held before his mouth, then allowed his tongue to slither out and capture the fluid. As he spoke he allowed for some of it to dribble over his lips in display his mouth, delight evident about all his rugged features. "If it isn't the detective party come to save the captive girl. I must say, you've kept us waiting, Yusuke Urameshi."

"Just hand over the girl," Yusuke hissed through gritted teeth, not bothering to wonder how the demon knew of his name and position. "And maybe I won't take my time in killing you."

"You?" the demon chuckled excessively. "Kill me? I hardly think that fits in with the plan, Yusuke Urameshi. You see, I haven't tasted blood in many years ... many, many years ... and now that I have the chance - not to mention the shield - who would I be to deny myself such a divine pleasure?"

"Let the girl alone," Kurama's voice echoed softly from beside him. "If it's blood you're after then you have us to fight."

This time the demon's disturbed laughter was joined from the equally sick chortles of his companions. His eyes narrowed and then widened in entertained surprise, head shaking slightly as he continued to tighten around the girl's neck.

"I am not after the blood of spirit detectives and traitors," he sniggered, eyes dancing in glares to Hiei and Kurama. "But don't worry ... my companions will assure you the death you wish to claim. As for myself ... I plan to feast upon the lives of those who have imprisoned us. Who are you, after all, to follow in comparison to their former protector? If she was weak to our blows, then so may you also fal-"

The demon's voice was suddenly pierced short, his great orbs going wide and his hand releasing. He staggered forward, limbs dropping to his side as the girl hurriedly scrambled from him to the accompanying crowd. His body shook violently; his mouth spat forth vicious curses and screams. Immediately Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara sprang forward - unleashing a fury of attacks on the shocked demons that had begun to back against the forest. Yusuke himself sprang forward to help the girl, then moved to stand with his hand stretched out at the demon as though prepared to shoot when he saw she was safe. Though the demon was doing little more than gargling blood and thrashing about on the ground, there was still the possibility of a false act. Yusuke's eyes darted back to view his companions (who were doing quite the fine job of disposing of the other demons) and then to where Yukina, Botan, Shizuru, and Keiko stood in the now rapidly dispersing crowd. He captured their expressions in only a quick glance, his focus replaced when the demon's moans erupted in his ears.

"Kill him, Yusuke! Don't allow him to recover!" Kurama ordered from where he stood, meanwhile using his rose whip to slice through the chest of a stout and already badly beaten demon.

"Yeah, hurry the hell up Urameshi! We can't do all the work here, you know!" Kuwabara chimed, ripping through another group with his spirit sword.

Yusuke nodded, then took strides toward the demon - keeping his distance still so that he was close enough to examine but still out of the way should the demon attempt to grab him. His eyes began to roam the demon's pained body, searching for the cause of his sudden collapse. It was a rather difficult thing to do, however, as the demon was continually jolting back and forth from his stomach to his back.

"I-Impossib-ble," the demon choked, gripping his throat as his lips spat blood upon the dirt ground. "K-Kill-lled ... he ki-ki-lled-"

Yusuke's eyebrows cocked as the demon began speaking, but the intrigue was cut short when the familiar piercing of flesh sounded before him. He looked up to see Hiei glaring down at the demon, sword's blade plunged into the demon's back - freezing the creature in pain so that it came to lying on his stomach. A short gasp fell from the demon's lips, the last vibration of life whipping through him. At last his yellowed eyes fell closed and his jaw slacked, a thin trail of liquid rolling from the corners of his mouth.

"Hn," Hiei said, shaking his head as he twisted the sword before yanking it free. "If you thought I was going to wait while you took your leisure in disposing of him, you were quite wrong."

But Hiei's words faded before their complete journey could be made, drowned out by the sight that caught Yusuke's gaze. For from the demon's back protruded an odd sight, one that was both an explanation and a riddle. It was a group of three diamond-shaped daggers - thick and no doubt quite sharp at all angles, but more peculiar was that they seemed to be made purely of ice. He bent down for a closer look, reaching out and grasping one in an attempt to free it from the corpse. When he had succeeded in such a task he turned the soaked weapon over in his hand, finding its sides to be smooth and its make up horribly precise. Unbearably cold it was, so much so that Yusuke felt his hands numb at the contact. But who ...

"Yukio ..."

The name was torn from his lips before he could recover it, and within moments his mind was consumed with Keiko's retellings of the demon's violent murders. Certainly they were only concoctions of her mind taken up in dream form, but as he released the recovered dagger from his hand a new uncertainty filled within him. Questions developed, old explanations retreating upon the discovery. Some part of him recalled Keiko telling him of Yukio using this sort of elemental power ... but it couldn't be. It was inconceivable.

Or was it possible that Keiko's nightmares were not meant to be taken as dreams alone?

"Keiko ..." Yusuke whirled, eyes darting among the remaining crowd in search for the brown-haired girl. Few were left, but among the remaining he could locate Botan, Shizuru, and Yukina. Kurama and Kuwabara were already standing beside them, their task accomplished by proof of the scattered bodies that littered the ground. Hiei was still beside him, no doubt supplying him with a quizzical look. But where was Keiko?

"Botan!" Yusuke called, finding the ferry girl's eyes as she turned to look at him. "Where's Keiko?"

"I ..." the girl began, face suddenly turning white as a frightened mask overtook her. She turned to look from side to side, body starting to shake as she called behind her to the dispatching group. After a moment her eyes returned to stare at Yusuke, their shape wide and paralyzed in terror.

"I ... I don't know."

In the stir, it had been easy to forget the rain's steady fall. But with Botan's dawning words, the grim lullaby was the only sound to echo Yusuke's scream as he called out to the lost.

* * *

And there it is! After all of that waiting and pain (on my part, at least), there it is! If you were disappointed at the lack of Keiko, do not fret! Look for hints and you might figure out where she is in all of this. Maybe. If I didn't do my job as a purposefully mysterious and vague writer, you will figure it out. Haha.

Also, I promise the next chapter will be up ASAP - maybe even by Christmas. So please, read and review and sorry for the wait!


	6. Black and White

**Title**: More Than Words

**Chapter**: Six.

**Rating**: PG-13 for language and violence. _Not to be taken lightly._

**Author's Notes**: Argh, I'm late as usual! I know I planned to get this up by Christmas but, argh. My break got busy and I went through a serious block and then the new year and school ... let's just say it was rather stressful, eh? Either way, I tried to make up for it with a rather long chapter. And most of its about Keiko, which should make all of my Keiko fans happy, ne? Anyway, I'll skip the small talk and get right to thanking my reviewers and giving you all what you came for - the story!

_Bradybunch4529: _As usual, your review made me blush with ego and made me want to keep writing. I hope this chapter is just as good for you as the last one, and thankyou again for your steadfast reviews!

_animegurl23: _I hope your holidays were fantastic as well! Thank you so much for your encouragement - believe me, I'm thankful for all the reviews I do get. And I'm glad the last chapter did more for you than four - and hopefully this one comes to par as well!

_katgirl: _Thank you, thank you,thank you! I know - I'm so sorry it took me so long! Here'sone for you.

* * *

Keiko had never known such magic like that unfolding before her.

She wished for it to be a dream, she wished she could fall and crash into the worlds of unconsciousness and slumber. She wished the rain that singed across her bare arms and legs would be wiped from her body the minute she urged her eyes to open, and she wished that when she did she would be surrounded by the familiarity of friends. But it was not a dream, or at least not one she could escape. The images played out for her before awakened eyes, their bodies standing on the same ground as she. Like a dream, their figures were faded somewhat - aged like that of memories long past. And yet, they were still there. The twin haunts of her nightmares, two devils finalizing their connection to conscious eyes.

His body shook viciously; his back hunched forward some as some sort of maniacal grin lit across his face. His clothes were torn and tattered, so much so that only the collar and a single sleeve remained for what might've been a shirt. Unthinkable gashes littered his chest, some recent and others faded almost entirely into his flesh. Few wounds were allowed to bleed by the opened sky, the water washing over the gaps and drifting across them with fierce precision. His dark hair fell before his proud eyes, flecked with mud brought about by the downpour. Some yards away from him she stood, stopped in midstep with her back turned to him. Like him she too was drenched, but somehow she managed to retain her calm composure. The moisture trickled along her pale skin like tears - the replacements for ones Keiko knew she would never shed. Her flowing garments remained unusually weighed down and pressed to her body. Slowly, as if time itself were paused to allow for her movements, her eyes swiveled to observe him from their sockets independently of her head. She brushed a set of invading strands from her eyes, the pearl colour catching the moonlight as she did. In comparison they were the ultimate opposites - he was the wild dark of the night, she the graceful light that managed in spite of him.

"Yukio," she spoke, voice floatingharsh and serious into the night. "When will you learn?"

His laughter came quietly at first and then rose into a prickling cackle that brought Keiko's blood to the surface of her veins. "Never," he hissed, the same grin and glare fit over his features. "I won't be shoved aside. I'll do away with you like I've done away with all the others."

She sighed, turning so that she faced him. A cross of disappointment and misery fell over her usually bland features. She raised her arm to her chest, palm faced down as though about to cut the air in front of her. "Fool,"she hissed,the rain continuing to play over her eyes and cheeks. "You don't even know why you've come after me, do you?"

"Don't you run your mouth about my life like you could do any better with it," he snapped, voice fierce and choked. "Don't ... you ... dare. Not when it's your fault. You think I'm mad, don't you? Just like the others ... just like them. That's all they see, you know. A ruthless murderer, wiped clean of soul and heart and feeling. That's why they haven't come for me. They're afraid of me. Who wouldn't be? Take no prisoners. Maybe you're right, though. Maybe I don't know anymore. God knows I don't even remember who I was. Dammit, if you didn't repeat my fucking name for me I'd forget that too ... but at least forgetting a name is just forgetting a label. When they throw me in jail - finally work up the spine! - that's what I'll be. A number. And when they repeat the number, I'll remember you repeating my name. And then I'll remember ... I'll remember how you left me ... do you remember? Does it eat you alive? I hope it does. God, I hope it does!" His body collapsed somewhat, arms moving to clutch his body as he shook. He looked so much younger to Keiko, and at the same time so much older. Tears took their form at the lids of his eyes, trickling unseen once they joined the rain.

At first Keiko thought the demoness was going to reach out for him, for she did take a step toward his body. Her eyes swelled with guilt, her arm unmoved from its crossed position. "You're right about one thing, Yukio," she said, voice suddenly cold and shielded. "You're right. They are afraid of you. At one point, I was afraid, too. But not afraid of you because of these murders ... these attempts for redemption and satisfaction. But I will never feel something whose sole force is his blind rage. I may pity such a soul, but never will I fear it. I'm not that pathetic."

His breath came in pants, his grin fading as his glare took over completely. He rose, straightening his body as he unsheathed his sword. At his touch ice surrounded the blade, cloaking it in a fearsome force. A smirk appeared on his cracked lips, rain continuing to shatter over his bare chest. "Fool," he hissed. "At your wish, I will allow death ... and at my own I will make it painful."

With that he charged, raising his sword as he shot at her with enormous speed. She kicked off from the ground backwards into the air, slicing her arm forward and sending a foursome of knife-like shards at his figure. Two he dodged, one he smacked away with his sword, and one dug into his right shoulder. Crying out from the brilliant pain and blood that seeped out from the new wound he staggered some, but only for the moment it took to collect himself. She had landed back in the mud, appearing just as collected and unbothered as before. He looked positively invigorated.

He went at her again, though she did not rise to dodge him. Instead she too took to the onslaught, coming at him with fists and feet. They moved as though molded in perfect choreography, his blade moving to slice through her just before she dodged to the side. At one point he lost his footing, slipping and falling forward some in the mud. Taking advantage of his fall, she moved forward and forcefully withdrew from his shoulder her dagger. Now they smashed weapon upon weapon, until a fierce collision sent them both back in the slick earth. He was crouched some; she stood upright. He began his lunge once again, but his movements were strangled by exhaustion, wound, and poor ground. When he came at her, she easily dug the icy dagger into his chest.

"Reckless fool," she hissed, body shaking with consumed tears. "Why won't you let it go?"

As the rain fell about her, both past and present seemed to crumble at the day's will. Keiko forgot the night, forgot her purpose, forgot all reason and gave herself over. As her body collapsed upon the ground, the images faded - taken away by the wind and left for forgotten illusions.

And once again, she was alone.

* * *

From where he sat, perched easily atop the leaves of one particularly tall tree, Yukio could see everything. Well perhaps not see, but he most certainly could sense every bit of activity about him. And not that he couldn't at anytime, but particularly during such a moment the world was his to observe. From his shrouded height he could make out the steady sway of the trees, could feel the precise footsteps of traveling creatures, could smell the scent of newly bruised flesh. Further in the distance he could hear the dying commotion of the village, their shocked cries slowly turning into ones of fear. Yukio didn't really blame them, but he still couldn't help but think it somewhat silly. Had their attackers not been brutally slaughtered before their heels, turning to corpses destined to disappear unburied into the ground? Smirking to himself the demon idly kicked his dangling leg against the branch, using his bent on as a rest for his arm. Whatever foundation of peace the forest had clung to had fallen apart with the actions of today, but it didn't anger Yukio as it would the others. He had learned long ago that what was meant to happen did, and there wasn't really anything one could do about that.

"Yukio!" a deep cry echoed from below him, causing him to curiously turn his eyes downward. About four somewhat familiar demons stood under him, all looking quite perturbed. Yukio tilted his head some, nonetheless flashing them a toothy grin as he called back.

"Yes, gentlemen? What might I do for you?"

"Don't fuck around with us, Yukio," the one who had spoken first retorted, his voice a crude hiss. "Just tell us where she is so we can get the hell out of here."

Yukio giggled in spite of himself, moving to rest his head on his knee. "Who now? You'll have to be more specific, gentlemen. I'm quite the popular fellow, after all - how can you go about expecting to remember a body based off such a teensy description?" His voice was taunting, his eyes knowing and twinkling with mockery.

The second demon suddenly threw himself forward, raising his fist in the air and shaking it up at Yukio. Yukio wondered at the fellow's name, for usually he didn't forget such a rash thing as he. But then, everyone seemed rash these days. Perhaps it was Keiji. Yes, he supposed that was it. "Akira said no games, you stupid bastard! You know exactly we're talking about ... how did you keep her alive!"

"Me?" Yukio said, blinking innocently as he straightened and raised a pointer finger to his chest. "Why, I did nothing. It was your fool of a messenger who lied to you, if any is to blame." Boredly swinging his bent leg down to join the other, he peered pointedly down at the demons. "Tut tut, gentlemen. I always said you were rather brash fellows. How many died on your behalf, then?"

"Enough to merit even your concern, you little shit," Keiji retorted, body shaking with suppressed rage.

"Really?" Yukio replied, yawning as he moved to examine his nails. He could tell the bothersome group beneath him grew frustrated with his careless behavior, and perhaps he took some sick enjoyment from their torture. Or perhaps they were just that easy to bother, and it was just in his nature to bother. Whether that was a horrible trait or not he didn't really know, and nor did he really mind. Besides, he could reason, had these few not just been in the plotting for homicide and absolute destruction? A little humour might do them a bit of good. "I heard that it was all involved. My, aren't we uninformed?"

"Shut - up!" Keiji moved to climb the tree, but Akira laid a hand on his shoulder. Yukio supposed that perhaps they weren't in the mood for his humour, and he took pity on them for such. He knew what it was like to feel constant rage, and it truly wasn't much fun. Poor souls. Yukio noticed that Akira was glaring quite pointedly at him, and so he smirked down at him in return. As his own response, Akira spat fiercely on the ground before turning and ushering his group away.

"Let's go," he hissed. "Perhaps it will become his concern when the human intruder is slaughtered. Perhaps her blood will make him serious."

Yukio giggled once more, waving with a gentle content as they disappeared into the brush. With a smirking sigh he turned his head upward, higher yet to where another body lay sprawled across the branches. Her chest heaved gently, the small sign of life that had progressed under his quiet care.

"Perhaps, perhaps," Yukio said, shaking his head and waving his arms about some. "Too bad I've already beat you to her, boys."

With such a comment he leaped upwards, snatching up her body from the cloaked branch of their hiding. He heard her groan gently as he scooped her up and dived, her brown hair snapping at his chest from the wind that shot upwards.

"And now that that little mess is over with," he whispered, thudding smartly on the ground before taking off across the forest, "we have some fun dodging the morons, eh?"

* * *

Keiko's body was wrecked. She felt as though her body had been disjointed, or forced into many odd and uncomfortable positions. Her head pounded, her legs throbbed, and the thousand bruises that dotted her skin singed with pain. Sitting up she touched a hand to her forehead, eyes opening gently to take in her surroundings. The sun's light was obvious and bold, but somehow the forest managed to block out some of its intrusive rays with its brush. Thus the area was cool and warm, light and dark all at once. The particular area where Keiko lay was different from the one she recalled fainting in, for near to her she could hear the steady drumming of flowing water. Turning she saw the source - a small waterfall that executed into a substantial pool. As she rose to walk towards it, Keiko further noticed that the ground was still moist from the earlier downpour - as were her clothes. Sighing, Keiko stood somewhat shakily, brushing herself off as she turned to what had formally been to her back.

"Well, well, there you are. And here I thought you planned to sleep all day."

Keiko froze at the sight of him. He stood, leisurely seated atop a large rock with his elbows bent upon his knees. His body was leaning towards her, eyes glinting dangerously when paired with his devilish grin. Keiko found herself glaring at him, her back foot lifted somewhat in case she needed to run. She knew it would do little, but at least she would have tried. "Were you watching me?" she spat. "Were you the one who brought me here?"

He rolled his eyes somewhat, standing with ease as he moved to close some of the distance between them. "Silly girl," he smirked, tossing back his hair as he stood. "You've been listening to rumours, haven't you?"

She blinked, then twisted her body backwards and pointedly away from him. From where she stood Keiko saw only a black soul - a black soul that consumed and lived for the sheer pleasure of consuming. She had seen him lie, murder, and die. Before she had felt safe, had felt right when she approached him. Something about him had beckoned her ... but now everything about him screamed danger. What was she to think of him? For they weren't rumours ... they weren't idle gossip conducted by weathered old women collected about a table. They were warnings. So then, why had she followed him in the first place? For she had felt him then, felt that chill and chased after him. Chased after the familiarity, chased after the hope. But why?

"Why should I trust you?" she hissed, glaring back at him as she hugged her arms over her chest. Yukio grinned, shaking his head at her hatred. Casually he brushed dark bangs from his eyes, twisting his gaze from her and upwards. Keiko eyed him suspiciously, then followed the look until-

"You shouldn't."

Keiko stiffened at the stony voice she knew so well. She felt her body freeze and she gasped when she realized how intense a cold gripped her and the area surrounding; how had she not noticed it before? Of course - she hadn't noticed because she hadn't been looking for it, not been aching to sense it. She had become accustomed to it, allowed herself to slip into the normalcy that forced those around her into blind ignorance. That's why no one else felt it, after all - they hadn't been forced into its shock. She shut her eyes, igniting and twisting her senses into precision. She could feel the inaudible echo that shifted the ground beneath her, could hear Yukio lips as they twisted from smirk to knowing smile.

"Well, aren't you just your usual ball of exploding joy," he chuckled, and Keiko rose her lids just slightly to watch him move away from her. From the corner of her gaze Keiko could make out the demoness' figure - its curves even more sharp and precise than in her dreams. The collection of white that sprouted in soft strands from her scalp swayed some as she turned, body tilted towards Keiko as though observing her. As Keiko's eyes slowly opened more, she could see the pale eyes, the blank expression, the jewel atop her forehead.

"Did you put up with any struggle?" the demoness questioned blandly, voice devoid as before of any emotion. Keiko shivered when the demoness' eyes fell upon her, the cold stare penetrating and alarming.

Yukio rolled his eyes at the demoness, "Honestly, would it kill you to have _any _social skills? Any at all?"

"Possibly," was her reply, eyes still fixed upon Keiko as though expectant. "Has she said anything?"

"Only what you heard, sunshine dearest," Yukio sang back, smirking as he settled himself against a tree with arms folded. Keiko found herself grinding her teeth over her lip, eyes secured on the ground, in anxiety at the demoness' unfaltering stare.

"Do not fear me," the demoness said suddenly, and Keiko's eyes snapped up to find that somehow the look had softened. Not dramatically, but just enough. "Had I wished to slit your throat, I would've by now. That task is a simple one. But you will not be permitted to return to your companions now, not until outside measures may be secured."

Keiko shook her head, choking back a gasp and trying to hold herself calm. "What measures? What do you mean?"

"She means," Yukio began from the corner, "that if we were to release you on your own, you'd be slaughtered momentarily by any other demon in this forest. They all smell it, you know - your human stench. They want to destroy it, or at least taste your blood on their finger tips."

Keiko shivered, "So why can't ... why can't you take me back now?"

"Time," the demoness spoke slowly, "is an important factor to consider. You will leave when things have quieted. Returning you now would cause your little friends to attack, and I'd prefer to face them when I've recovered from the process of my earlier interference."

"What ... interference?" Keiko blinked. All she could remember had been Yukio's doing, or had it?

"Oh, honey," Yukio giggled, alerting Keiko to turn her eyes from the demoness to his shaking form. "You're famous now. You think it was an easy task keeping your suitors away? I may have brought you here - and watched you, as you earlier accused - but it was Sora who kept those dastardly devils at bay. Not to mention she's the one who obstructed the little rally earlier ..."

"That's quite enough," the cold voice interrupted, something of a glare spiking from her eyes before she turned them once again back to Keiko. "Now, if all is understood, I think I'll go for a walk."

"Sora ..." Keiko repeated the name Yukio had dubbedher with, unsure if it was another one of Yukio's nicknames or her birth name. AtKeiko's voice,however,the demoness turned.

"Yes?" the demoness asked, tone crossed with a bored sigh. Keiko breathed something of a relief.

"I ... thank you ... for this. And you, Yukio. Thank ... thank you."

"You're welcome, Keiko dear," Yukio grinned from his corner, winking slyly when she looked at him. A blush formed at her cheeks as she turned to await Sora's response.

"You should never," the demoness began, a twitch appearing at the corner of her lips, "thank someone for an uncompleted task."

And with that she was gone, left to remain - for the moment - a haunt in Keiko's memories. She slumped to the ground, watching the ground where the demoness' shadow had remained. When she closed her eyes she could recall her as a murderer, but when she tore her lids open she saw an angel's ghost. What then, was she to believe?

"Don't mind her," Yukio smiled, coming to sit next to her. The presence was still prickling, but she allowed it. She had to. "If there's one thing to be said about her, is that she's full of contradictions. Brimming, I can assure you. If you can see it - want to see it - you'll be able to pick out what she really means."

"Yeah," Keiko said, voice fallen to a whisper as she continued to stare at the spot. "Yeah ... I think you're right. Know you're right. I mean, yes. I see."

Yukio chuckled, snapping some and flicking away the hair that crossed his eyes. "That's it, dearie. That's it."

* * *

And there it is! Yes, there was a lack of Yusuke and company. There's a reason for that - perhaps you'll pick up on it with the next chapter. Also, just in case it wasn't clear - what Keiko was seeing was just like one of her dreams, only it was played out for her while she was still (somewhat) conscious. She was a little dazed at the time though, aha. And there is a reason for Yukio's personality change from "dream" to reality. You'll see.

Oh, and Sora's name? There's a reason. Not to mention that when I created her character how overused it was in the fanfiction world.

Hope you all enjoyed - please review if you get the chance! Love you all and thank you again!


	7. City of the Dead

**Title:** More Than Words

**Chapter:** Seven.

**Rating: **PG-13 for language and violence. _Not to be taken lightly. _

**Author's Notes**: Oh my gosh! Long time no chapter, eh? Well, instead of giving bunches of excuses I'm just going to go right into the chapter and save the reviews for the next one. I really do appreciate them and will respond to each, but for now let's just get to what's taken me two months of writing!

* * *

She was dead before him.

Her body hung in gruesome display some feet above him, a rope notched around her middle so that she hung like a poorly stitched puppet. Her clothes were torn shreds, soaked in the blood of the one whom they so immodestly covered. From beneath the tattered fibers of material were armies of gaping, spewing wounds; from where Yusuke stood he could see in sickly horror how the crimson fell from her beaten body like rain to splatter upon the ground. Her hair was covered in a similar cascade of fluid, tangled in a mess about her head and falling so that her eyes were hidden from view. Her limbs were twisted further, quite obviously broken and with some areas held together by mere strands of sinewy muscle. Yusuke cringed, fists tightened as another descending drop struck the ground. A strange, new feeling bubbled up inside him - it was something so broken from rage and sadness that he knew not even where to begin. Hopelessness, yes, and failure ... something that prevented him from the mainstream emotions he usually lived off of. Here was the ultimate before him; here was the corpse of the woman he had loved with the entire of his soul. And here also, some feet to the side with a shadow cast over his proud face, was her murderer.

A satanic smirk floated easily across the devil's dark lips as he pushed himself forward, striding easily to stand just some inches to the side of where her blood was starting to pool. He tilted his head upwards, eyes rolling from where her body hung so high above them and then back to where the crestfallen detective stood. "Some sight she is, isn't she?" he sniggered, voice low and taunting. Casually he stuck out a hand, catching a drop of crimson on his palm. Slowly and with mocking amounts of seduction he brought the hand to his lips, tongue rolling out and sliding across the affected palm. Yusuke felt himself start to tremble at the display, rage building inside him like a consumed explosion as the demon continued to mock him. "Mm, still fresh. And wouldn't you agree that they always taste _so _much better fresh?"

"You ... bastard ..." he managed, words coming shaky and forced. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes as he hunched over, the words continuing to roll off his lips as his fists clenched at his sides. Mumbling insanity and curses he continued to consume his emotion until at last it came in a scream. He could see from the corners of his down turned eyes the demon's lips curving into an unforgettable smirk. The dark eyes of the beast were narrowed, something sinister creeping into his aura. A hand passed through his thick hair, the black strands rushing fluidly across the invading digits.

"It's a funny thing to feel guilty," the demon simpered, tongue running hungrily across his lips as he strode simply towards the fallen being. "It's rather consuming, really. But don't worry detective ..." He came to a stop in front of the Yusuke's hunched figure, moving a cold hand under his victim's chin and tilting the head up so that his gaze would not be escaped. Grin widening to display sharpened fangs, the demon continued in hiss, "... you'll join her soon enough in death."

Taking advantage of his boiling rage and the close proximity of his opponent, Yusuke shot a fist out and struck the demon in the stomach. The blow sent the demon backwards, throwing him upon his back from the shock of his strike. Standing, Yusuke brought his arms together and formed the shape of a gun with his fingers. "I will kill you for what you did to Keiko," he shouted, continuing to shudder. "I will kill you!"

And yet the demon only threw his head back in a malicious cackle, unbuttoned black robe thrown somewhat off him as he righted himself. The exposure left his bare chest revealed, the flesh smooth and tender despite the mixture of wounds both faded and new. With every rolling strike of laughter his scars rose and fell, clinging to the taught muscles of his chest and forming a map of murder and gore. Head shaking back and forth he gingerly pushed the sleeves back further, allowing the robe to drop entirely from his body and land heedlessly upon the earth. From there he wore naught but simple pants, dark as usual in colour and at a length that fell simply around his bare feet. As he stood the wounds of the past continued to manifest with each movement, and with each step he took back towards Yusuke his look grew more intimidating. All of the ironic boyishness that lay about his face seemed swept away by the shadows, replaced with the image of the beast that he truly was.

"Go ahead, detective," he hissed, malign tone tempting. "Shoot me. Or have you realized that you cannot?" Yusuke felt a panic rise within him. He hurriedly attempted to gather the spirit energy at the tips of his finger, but to no avail. His gaze dipped and rose with the sudden shock of being stripped of his ability, a shaking fear rising within him. Certainly he could fight without the use of his spiritual weapon, but what could have emptied him of such power?

The demon's smile was morbid and fierce in the shadow's caress. "You're in my world now, detective," was the horrid, mocking whisper. With an unexpected launch the beast's hand spun out and latched onto where Yusuke still had his hands folded into the shape of a gun, grip tightening viciously once the contact had been made. Demonic claws buried into his skin, causing a disapproving growl to rumble out of the detective's throat. "And I assure you," the demon practically giggled with ill delight as he spoke, "that once you're in, Hell itself would not claim you so."

A penetration like that of needles suddenly pierced the flesh of his hands and arms, and he was vaguely aware that a layer of ice had taken to forming over the extended area. The cold was so brilliant and so _savage_, Yusuke momentarily had breath and life alike sucked from his throat. The layer thickened rapidly, the ice beginning to tighten upon its own as it started to squeeze circulation out of his arms.

"You know," the demon clucked, idly releasing his prey and pushing him back so that he was forced into a tumble upon the ground. "It's a pity you even came at all. Now I'm positively _forced _to kill you ... and with you gone, who will protect your precious little companions? Oh, of course you've died before ... nothing new, I believe - but I do wonder, does it ever get old? Oh well, it doesn't matter ... for this time, you won't be coming back. Your beautiful damsel's dead now. How could you return to that shame? Too late, too late - and by only a few minutes! Though, I doubt coming any earlier would've saved you any. No, I think you were rather fucked from the start, don't you agree?"

Yusuke cringed when he felt the demon's hands spread into a grip around his throat, the jagged claws burrowing into the corners of his neck. A low throated chuckle sounded as the demon yanked him upwards, dark eyes glinting in anxious anticipation. Yusuke could do nothing but focus his animosity into his own eyes, for the rest of his body was wrecked with inexhaustible pain. His breath was cut shorter with time, slowly at first but picking up as the ice around his hands and arms continued to tighten.

"What's this?" the cold voice turned sickly chipper, as though scandalized by Yusuke sagged in his grip. "Giving up so soon? Oh, but you haven't even seen the best part!" Pulling the detective up so that their eyes met within inches apart the demon cocked a lying smile, voice singing across sharp fangs as he spoke. "Look up," he hissed, and with a sharp jolt the demon threw Yusuke forward onto the ground, disregarding the sound of breaking bone and ice as his victim's limp body smacked the ground. Grunting some Yusuke forced his head up nonetheless, unwilling to allow the demon further mockery on his behalf.

The sight he met, however, gave him reason to wish he had been struck blind before he had allowed his pride to take over.

They hung in a fashion similar to Keiko's; their dismantled corpses covered in ripped flesh and hardened crimson. Their hair hung before their faces and askew on their heads, tinged and torn and with blood soaked completely through. Hiei appeared with little of his lower body still in tact, though what did remain rained blood and was held together by solitary strands of muscle. Kurama's face was almost completely indistinguishable, a thick slab of torn flesh covering his eyes and part of his cheeks in obvious morbid display. Kuwabara's limbs were tattered and broken in blatant despair; beside him Yukina's usually illuminated face was bruised to an almost black hue. Yusuke's eyes were filled too thick with tears by the time they took to scanning the bodies of Botan and Shizuru, though had he caught them he might not have recognized either beneath the scars.

"You ... sick ... bastard," Yusuke hissed, attempting to force his legs to stand as he ignored the seething pain in his frozen arms. "How could you ... could you do this ... to them ... to her ..."

"Oh, dear, don't tell me we've resulted to name calling now." The demon shook his head, forcing a faux frown and moving to bend in front of Yusuke. Had Yusuke been able, he would've struck the demon ... but as it was, he could do little besides rise to his knees. "I'm going to tell you a secret, Yusuke Urameshi - a very delicious secret that even in death will make your existence all that much sweeter. You think I'm kidding, don't you? Oh no, detective, I'm not kidding. I wouldn't kid about something like this, I can promise you that. After all, it might just lengthen the chase ..."

Leaning in, the demon brought his cold lips beside Yusuke's ear, obviously relishing in how Yusuke's chest heaved and shook with every ascending breath. Voice lowered, but still retaining its tantalizing snigger, the demon whispered, "She had a few breaths left in her. You're about to have her last."

_"Yusuke ..."_

Keiko's voice sounded and then came the unsheathing of a blade. In one swift stroke he felt the metal connect between his ribs, then cried out when it twisted roughly and slowly drew all life from him. Taking her soft whimper and consuming the scream that ignited at the demon's final truth, he descended - blood all the while bubbling above and flowing down his body. Choking on death he wondered, realized, and drowned in the plea and the earnest honesty he had been granted.

It was a death from which he would not soon recover.

* * *

Keiko had always believed there was only one type of love - that powerful, consuming, romantic love that every little girl dreams of. Certainly she'd thought it someone distant, and she absolutely had never thought she'd find it until far after she'd finished college (and perhaps even a few years after). For her there had been no thoughts of partying or a slew of new boyfriends every week, and that was simply because she had better things to do. She knew that, had she wanted to, she probably could've - there had always been someone offering up their heart to her at some point or another. Whether the blame was to be set upon lack of attraction or her focus on other things Keiko really couldn't be sure, but she did know of how ignorant she had been of love regardless of her lack of interest. It had taken Shizuru to show her the sort of motherly care your friends can toss up unexpectedly, Botan to show her deep love despite constant silliness, Yukina to show her innocent love, Kuwabara to show her stupid love, Kurama and Hiei to show her concern despite the distance, Genkai to show her aged and wise love, and of course, Yusuke - the one who showed her that original love she'd dreamed of all along. She'd slowly come to understand love and its different boundaries, and once again she was being shown yet another.

He was different. There was something about him that just begged for her to trust him - something so simple and unassuming as the boyish innocence that flitted over his dark eyes, or even the inviting suggestive nature of his grin. How comfortable and at home he was, how everything about him contrasted another bit of him. His sharp jacket that fell to around his knees was the only material that settled upon his heavily scarred chest, their number making him seem so old despite the youth in his face and body. He was likable in a sense that he shouldn't have been, and that there was his unspoken charisma. She was sure she felt no physical attraction to him - for the emotion she did feel was nothing like that when she thought of Yusuke - but their was in intriguing aura surrounding him that refused to release her. Perhaps it had something to do with how she couldn't stop studying his movements or his words, for each time she looked at him she was reminded of the memories of her nightmares. They prodded her mind with their obvious question of truth or lie, stabbing painful little warnings of murder and sinister intentions. Her imagination painted crimson on his falling coat, forced knives into his callused hands and set death in his eyes. There was so much she wished she could only ask him, for the more she looked at him without such the more she found herself fearing him. And she couldn't settle for that, not when there was so much about him that urged her not to.

They were alone, as they had been for most of the day, stumbling around the forest. Occasionally Yukio would rush up into the brush to be sure they weren't being followed or hadn't ventured from a safe path, but for the most part he was content to allow her to wander at will - so long, of course, as he could follow her in turn. It was a trade that Keiko was quite pleased with, for at the time being she really didn't mind the delay. Naturally she wanted to return to Yusuke and the others, but at the same time she refused to be a burden to be returned to its proper owner. There was also the fact that Sora was nowhere to be found, and she hadn't been for quite a few hours. According to Yukio this was normal behaviour when it came down to the demoness, and that she would return when the proper time arrived.

"Yukio," she found herself starting at the sound of her own voice as it rolled off her tongue, speech prompted by the demoness' intrusion into her mind. The demon in question made something of a noise indicating he had heard her, turning his head some from where he walked somewhat ahead of her. He seemed somewhat preoccupied in thought, but Keiko feared that if she didn't ask him now that she might never buck up the courage. "Have you ... have you ever been in love?"

He stopped, turning and cocking his head as a blink and a playfully confused smile lit across his features. "Love?" he repeated. Hurriedly shaking her head and waving her hands some, Keiko stammered over her response in attempt to reword it. "I know it's random," she assured him, "but I guess I've just been thinking about everyone back in the village ... Yusuke, you know, and everyone-" She paused, eyes peering up to find his features quickly moving to amusement. Throwing up her hands some she claimed, "I promise I have a point if you just answer to question."

Yukio threw his head back and laughed, waving his finger in the air and walking toward her. "And what a question it is ... most certainly not one I would've expected so soon in our bond," he considered her with a wink, tilting his head a bit to the right and stopped a yard or so away from her to study her set features. Slowly his grin crumbled to a frown, sigh treating his tone as he spoke. "Oh, so I see you want to be serious about this ... how disappointing. Though, if I must ... I actually don't know if I've been in love." Casually he took to flicking stray dust bits from his coat, idly questioning her purpose. "Why do you ask?"

Biting her lip nervously the girl began to shuffle her feet in nervous anxiety. "I ... I had a dream about you. Lots of them, actually. They were like flashbacks ... of your murders," she paused, catching the serious look his eyes took when she mentioned this. Rushing forward to be sure he wouldn't stop her, she scurried through the rest of the story. "I don't know what started them. First they were just about Sora, only I didn't know it was her and nothing ever happened. It was more like she was just there, and I was trying to catch her-" she stopped again, shaking her head. "But that's not important. See, then I met you ... and I started dreaming about you. I would see murder after murder, and in them you always talked about ... 'her' ... And I thought that maybe you, well, loved whoever 'she' was. I wouldn't be surprised ... after all, people do stupid things when they're in love ..."

Yukio mused, small frown crossed over his lips when Keiko's eyes moved to hold his own. Slowly he started to nod, and soon his usual smirk moved to follow suit in his features. "Yes, I suppose they do," he said, laughing quietly to himself. Then he grew grave once more, eyes snapping to the ground and then back to Keiko. "Though, love or not, there is no excuse for what I did. I was an idiot, I truly was. Fucking bastard by all standards, if you'll pardon my language."

"So you _did _love her ..." Keiko trailed off, head bobbing to the sides once more as thought ran away with her. "Who ... who was she?"

"Was?" Yukio blinked, surprise catching his eyes. "You haven't figured it out?" Keiko blushed, shaking her head. "Well," she began, "I thought it might be, well ... Sora. But that didn't make sense because ... well, she ... she killed you. In my dream, she killed you. That was when my nightmares stopped. That was right before ... before all this."

A smirk shadowed his face. "Sora should've killed me, Keiko, for what I did. But I guess even then she knew better ..." He sighed, whether it was regarding himself or the demoness' decision long ago was to be forever uncertain. "The one thing Sora has always known, Keiko," he continued, unusually serious but with hints of his chipper tone intertwined in how he went about it, "is that it is never about who we are, but what we do and how we do it. I myself was born a conceited bastard with a conceited father who wanted conceited children so they could kill off the conceited pricks who cheated him out of the life he wanted. Demons, all of them - and you should know by now that demons are born to be bloodthirsty assholes. My problem? I gave into it. Sora never did. She was always disgusted by how easily we just accepted it, and I guess she's never really gotten over it. That's where we ran into problems, I guess. It's hard to love something you've grown to hate ... but that's something else she's gotten around. Doesn't seem like she would be like that, does she? She seems like a heartless bitch, doesn't she? And believe me, for the most part, she is. Cynical, cold - you name the negative traits and she's most likely been there and done that. But I guess sometimes she isn't so bad. You'll get it, like I said. Someday."

"She's always alone," Keiko found her voice drained to a whisper. "There's nothing in her eyes. How do you live like that?"

Yukio shrugged, then grinned and caught Keiko with a wink. "Who knows? But she does. Somehow, she does."

"Even Hiei's not that alone ..." Keiko didn't know why, but as she spoke tears were pricking at her eyes. A hand under her chin caused her to look up and shudder as she internalized the sobs.

"Hey," the demon urged, eyes revealing and open. "Don't worry about all this. You may not be able to see it, but she's happy how she is. Happy for the distraction. You'll see, someday. Now, what do you say we go find the witch and see if she's ready to take you home?"

"Don't even move."

Keiko's head snapped at the voice, eyes widening as she took in the shape of her companions. Save for Yukina and Shizuru, who were most likely checking for Botan's notices back at the cabin, the entire gang was there - Yusuke positioned in particular at the front and shaking with rage. His hands were outstretched and manipulated in the shape of a gun, prepped and ready to aim an explosive ball of energy straight for them - or, more particularly, Yukio.

"Yusuke ..." Keiko started, but he interrupted her.

"Keiko, don't move," was the sharp reply. She froze at the tone, and found a fear bubble up inside of her. Did Yusuke really intend to kill Yukio on the small basis Koenma had provided? Or had he found something else out?

"Yusuke ... what happened?" she tried to remain calm, not allowing her muscles to so much as twitch as her voice fell lower.

"Keiko, I told you to stay quiet," Yusuke snapped, though his gaze remained focused entirely on the demon. Her eyes crept to Yukio's body, and though he didn't move he looked only slightly surprised instead of disturbed. At least, Keiko assured herself, he was keeping silent.

"If it isn't the detective," he suddenly smirked, dry tone riding its way across the wind. It would seem Keiko had thought too soon. "It seems we meet at-"

"Shut up," Yusuke growled, and his glares were echoed from the eyes of the other boys. Kurama was the only one who seemed partially skeptical of Yukio's guilt, though his eyes nonetheless held the steady gaze. "You should be damn thankful I haven't blown you to pieces yet."

Keiko bit into her lip as her eyes darted to Yukio's face, the lines holding his smirk contorting some and straying from the usual amusement. "Should I? And why is that? I don't remember inviting your insanity into my home - in fact, I do believe you did that all on your own."

Yusuke's hands took to shaking, the energy no doubt building where Keiko could not see it, but Kurama hurriedly snuck forward and closed his own upon them. Nodding pointedly at the detective, the kitsune turned his gaze upon Keiko and Yukio - more specifically at Keiko herself. Taking the seriousness of his gaze to heart, she stumbled away from the cloaked demon and over to where her companions stood. Coming to stand beside Botan, who looked like she was struggling to hold in vicious waves of emotion, Keiko refused to catch Yusuke's eyes and instead focused upon Kurama's.

"Kurama," she whispered, voice choked by the intensity of the eyes around her. "Yukio didn't do anything ... he was taking me back-"

"I'm sure Yukio," Kurama said slowly, allowing his hand to slide from atop Yusuke's so that it returned to rest at his own side, "can speak for himself. If you'll excuse my interruption, Keiko, I will retain my suspicions until after you have spoken. And that, I'm afraid, will have to wait." He then swung his eyes back toward the demon at hand, whose expression had hardened some as Kurama had spoken. "You see, there are some questions we will need him to answer - questions that I believe have waited long enough."

At this Yukio's brows fell in narrowed arcs, his body stiffening just slightly. "And what business of mine, pray tell, is yours to question?"

"Don't be smart, ice boy," snapped Kuwabara from the corner, fists clenched. "We all know you went on some crazy rampage not to long ago. Was Keiko your next target, huh?"

His brow cocked now, lips pursing slightly into a tight smile. "Of course not," he replied, "but I can assure you, if you'd like I could most certainly make room for you on my kill list."

"Oooh-" Kuwabara growled, thrusting up his sleeves and starting forward. "You want some of this? Go on, I'll take you! Nobody thr-"

"No, Kuwabara," Yusuke snapped suddenly, eyes buried in rage as he flung a hand out to stop his companion. "This one's mine."

"How could you!" Botan suddenly burst forward, shaking as tears erupted from her eyes. She stumbled forward, body held under fierce shudders as she glared at Yukio with pure animosity. Her outburst seemed to surprise all, including Yukio himself. Nonetheless, the disturbed ferry girl took no notice of his widened glance and continued. "Luring her out of the forest ... kidnapping her ... what else have you done? Using her to get to Yusuke, were you? Or maybe Kurama or Hiei or even Kuwabara? Didn't take in enough blood before? Well let me tell you, mister, now that-"

"You should be careful of how you word things, ferry girl. After all, you of all people should know that things are never completely as they seem."

Keiko's head snapped up at the voice, her body taking up a shiver as the earth about her stirred. A gentle whisper, like that of a mourning choir, caught the wind and surrounded her. She blinked, catching a figure as it slowly and silently approached them from the brush. Even from afar, however, Keiko could easily make out the being's flowing sleeves and loose garments. The fluid fabric snapped fiercely against the air, quite the contrast to the graceful body it surrounded.

"Ah, yes. Here she is at last," Yukio's biting smirk cut across the image, his own back turned and his eyes closed. Turning her gaze to him Keiko watched his lids snap open suddenly, the great balls of devoid colour within lurching to their corners as a more devious smile cracked his lips. "Keeper of kings, deceiver of fools ... and love of my life. My dearest, my soul, my wonder-"

_Sora._

_

* * *

_

At last. I just want to say thank you so much for all of the dedication I receive from my reviewers ... I promise the next chapter will come quickly! And as for the questions in your reviews and e-mails, please check my updated information for them - I put up quite a few of the more common.

Also, I am going through all of the former chapters and editing them. I'll keep you posted on my progress. Oh, and don't worry - it won't get it in the way of any of the new chapters.

Again, sorry it took so long - I hope this was worth it! Until next time, reviews make me happy and they seem to make my fingers type faster. Love you guys!


	8. Demoness

**Title:** More Than Words

**Chapter:** Eight.

**Rating: **PG-13 for language and violence.

**Author's Notes**: Well, nearly five years later, I rediscovered this and decided to finish it. I hope some of you enjoy this. :)

* * *

_Keiko's head snapped up at the voice, her body taking up a shiver as the earth about her stirred. A gentle whisper, like that of a mourning choir, caught the wind and surrounded her. She blinked, catching a figure as it slowly and silently approached them from the brush. Even from afar, however, Keiko could easily make out the being's flowing sleeves and loose garments. The fluid fabric snapped fiercely against the air, quite the contrast to the graceful body it surrounded._

_"Ah, yes. Here she is at last," Yukio's biting smirk cut across the image, his own back turned and his eyes closed. Turning her gaze to him Keiko watched his lids snap open suddenly, the great balls of devoid colour within lurching to their corners as a more devious smile cracked his lips. "Keeper of kings, deceiver of fools ... and love of my life. My dearest, my soul, my wonder-"_

_Sora._

Yusuke stopped as the figure became clearer, and he could make out the frame of a medium-height being that stood shrouded in a dark cloak and hood. Unable to make out any sort of face he took to bracing himself, eyes narrowing as he attempted to capture some sort of better look.

"Yusuke Urameshi," it said presently, and from its voice Yusuke could determine that the form before him was indeed woman. The tone sounded somehow humored, and struck him annoyingly like those mocking evils he had faced previously. "I've been waiting for you."

"Who are you," he hissed quietly. He had tensed slightly at the remark, his eyes never leaving the woman before him. She was mysterious in ways he did not favor, and fearfully familar. He looked to Kurama, searching for some sort of warning from the kitsune.

"A demon," Kurama said slowly, his tone low. "But ... I can't make out how strong she is. Her signals are confusing ... as though they're jumbled up in some way ..."

A low chuckle erupted from the demoness, and Yusuke snapped back to the woman. She didn't frighten him as much as she annoyed him, and he feared for what she might be hiding from him.

"Drop your hands, Urameshi," the demoness's voice slithered through the air, rolling over Yusuke's skin in jagged cuts. "Or I will drop them for you."

"Ha, I would like to see you try!" Kuwabara snapped, crossing his hands over his chest. "We've taken on demons far worse than a little hybrid and his girlfriend…"

"Quiet, fool. I have no patience for your insolence," the demoness snapped. She turned toward Yusuke, whose hands were still thrust out defiantly before him.

"Oh, you're such a drag, woman," Yukio drawled and folded his hands behind his skull, smirking dryly. "I was so in the mood for a bit of insolence, after that horrid display. And now here you are, ruining my fun as always…"

The demoness's hood slid back slightly, revealing a glare. Everything, from the pale skin that clung to the harsh shapes of her face, to the eyes that blinked back at him him, reinforced the cold sinking around them. Keiko shivered near him, her hands clutched together. Her eyes darted from his hands and the energy building behind them to where the demon sat, chuckling, leering wildly.

"Oh, yeah? Why don't we talk about the display that you put on out there, huh?" Yusuke's lips curled up in a growl, his eyes narrowing at the dark-haired demon. "You did that, and you dragged her in here, and now you'll pay."

Yusuke was well versed in the song of destruction - knew where every beat, chord, and note eventually led. He was quick to understand the motives (with, of course, the added push his companions pressed upon him) and despite even the most severe of conditions could conjure up some sort of meaning or solution. However, chaos such as the one he was being forced to face was beyond him in ways most puzzling. He was both a hero and a villain - the one presented with blame and honor. Shouts both hissing and slick with thanks surrounded him, so much so that he had forced himself away from the crowds so that he had needed time just to think. But, as would always be the case with the young detective, thinking itself continually proved itself a difficult task.

_"You should be careful of how you word things, ferry girl. After all, you of all people should know that things are never completely as they seem."_

He watched the demoness as she glowered back at him, an eyebrow arched slightly. Here was the manifestation of the village's fear, and ever bit of her oozed distaste and distrust. Yet, as his eyes swam from Kurama's calm yet formidable stance to Hiei's sulking sneer, he realized that the evidence that good and evil did not always inhabit appropriate forms.

"Don't be so trusting, Yusuke," Kurama urged quietly, knowingly. "Remember our warning."

In the hours before, Yusuke had been so certain, and Keiko's crumpled form here did nothing to assuage his anger. Yet she seemed to be pleading with him, with tears coursing freely down her face. And even worse, she was looking at him—at the demon hybrid—with worry, and with pain.

He closed his eyes, if only briefly, and allowed the day's events to wash over him, hoping desperately for some sort of clarity.

* * *

Yusuke had chosen a walk along the corners of the forest - the forest that seemed to be the cause of everything lately. Somehow it brought him closer to Keiko, and not just in literal terms. Scuffling his feet about the dirt, slowly bringing to mind her carefree smile (or, at times, tensely pursed lips with a hand raised in the background just about to smack him), he could feel everything about her. It was creepy, he knew that - but at least it gave him some sense of comfort.

_"Yusuke ..."_

There was her voice. That voice that could bring him down from blood and gore and save him from death, that voice he knew so well. He rewound it back in his head and forced it to play, hands shoved easily into his pockets as his eyes slid closed. Damn, how he wanted to go in after her ... what he would have gived to not feel useless! And yet, there was Kurama's voice telling him that they couldn't go yet. Koenma had to be informed, there were certain villagers they could backtrack to ... but dammit if he even cared! They knew where she was, where she had to be. She was out there - waiting for him to save her beyond the trees.

Save her from what, though?

"I could help you with that, you know."

Yusuke stopped, eyes snapping up. His ears had pricked had the strangled voice that had spoken to him - a voice that sounded decayed and strained far beyond its given time. When he looked up he was hardly surprised that the body matched the voice - a shell of what might've been a small man at one point. Terribly small and oddly bent over with wild white hairs springing in sparsity from his head, the skin appeared slightly purple and fell in jagged wrinkles and scars about the mangled body. Yusuke might have winced if sights like that weren't already similar to him, but for now he merely cocked in eyebrow.  "I mean with your search," the man said, as though answering his thoughts. He sparked a grin, revealing decaying teeth of black and gold, "for the girl. You are lookin' for her, aren't you?"

Yusuke felt himself tense. "How do you know about Keiko?"

The man shook his head, cackling some as he trotted closer. "Who doesn't know about your lass, boy? She's almost as famous as you are, Mr. Hero."

At the term, Yusuke's eyes narrowed. "I don't have time for this," he growled, shaking his head and moving to pass the man.

"Now wait just a minute," came the scraggly reply, followed by a tight hand on Yusuke's arm. "Why would you shoo away the only help you're going to get in this town? You think those morons back there have any idea? Nah, you gotta go to the right kind ... dense as hell they are. Sparks of memories and rumours ... that's all they know. Nah, you gotta go straight to the source - straight to the blood on the knife. You know what I mean, doncha? Can't you feel it?"

At this, Yusuke stopped, eyes widening some at the man. He turned his gaze down to the man's feet, then back up to his eyes. Slowly his brows fell, his arm snapping pointedly away from the little man. "You're a demon, aren't you?"

A snort followed. "Perhaps not the most attractive, but I'll take what titles I can get. Now did you want to know about your lass or not?"

Yusuke didn't say anything.

"I'll hope you meant that as permission to inform," said the man, wide yellow orbs swinging up to face Yusuke. At once Yusuke wanted to wretch - the eyes appeared to be decaying out of their sockets with odd scratches hindering the exterior. The man didn't seem to notice, but took to fiddling about in the pockets of a long, ragged coat he wore.

"Tell me if you recognize this boy," he started, pulling from one of the oversized pockets a long, diamond-shaped block of ice. It appeared like a dagger, much like what Yusuke had found in the back of the earlier victim. Yusuke felt his eyes widen some, but retained most his curiousity and took to a curt nod. At this, the man grinned.

"Knew you would," he said, smirking to himself. "From the corpse before, right? This one's clean, though - found it quite a long time ago and have been keeping it with me ever since. I imagine it was used as a warning, or something similar. Either way, do you know how many demons in this forest could make this?"

Yusuke remained still.

"Two, boy," was the small cackle. "Just two. Impressive, isn't it?"

Yusuke said nothing.  "And if I had to bet that - if one of them wasn't the cause the taker to begin with - the other's got your girl right now. Yeah, now you start to listen. Funny the things that grab at people ..."

"Where is she," Yusuke spat, fists clenching some at his side.

"Oh, testy now! Don't worry. I'll tell you. I want you to find her, after all ..."

"And why are you so eager?"

Yusuke snapped around, muscles relaxing some at the sight of Kurama appearing from behind him. With a sharp glance to Yusuke, the red-haired kitsune returned his calm stare to the man before both of them - a man who had taken to glaring somewhat shakily at Kurama. "Pardon me?" he managed, rather disturbed.

"Surely you are not without motive to offer your services so enthusiastically," Kurama replied, cold seriousness ridden into his tone. "Why are you so anxious to guide us?"

For a moment, the man said nothing but fidgeted some with is hands. "Well, you see ... it's somewhat complicated," he said, stuttering some before at last looking up and meeting both their gazes in turn. "But I am afraid you are correct ... is it Kurama? That doesn't matter. Either way, I will admit - there will be indirect gain on my part for my services. For you see ... if my suspicions are correct - and there is an almost indisputable chance that they are - the girl is in the possession of a well, rather infamous demoness."

"And what makes your suspicions so likely?" Kurama asked, never once allowing his own emotions to be read.  "Well, certainly you've heard of her!" the little creature replied, throwing his tiny arms into the air. "Surely you've heard them whisper of her ... even if none of them could combine enough sanity to produce any sort of real background. A white maiden some call her, but mostly they just prefer to call her 'guardian' and 'protector.'"

Yusuke thought back to their very first day, the meeting of the old hag springing into mind.

_"They follow us, they follow our shadows! They is growing restless because she is restless, and they wants to leave. They is knowing she is not happy, and they is growing greedy. They thinks she is growing weak, but she is never weak ..."_

So it had been her after all ...

"But either way," the man continued, eyes glinting dangerously as he organized his terms. "Although quite popular with the humans ... well, needless to say most of the other disapprove. Not to mention that lately ... well, you see what's happening. She's stolen your Keiko now and, well ... it would be quite the bonus to be rid of her now that she's turned for the worse ..."

"In other words, you want us to do your dirty work," Yusuke snapped, eyes continuing to narrow.

"Oh, why do you have to word it so horribly?" the little glint sparked once again as he spoke. "I prefer to think of it as ... getting your revenge."

"What we do with the demoness is to remain our business. Now, where is she to be found?"

"Oh, shush, you silly boy. Don't worry, I will most definitely tell you where to find her, but really, these demons are difficult to find if they do not want to be found… that vision, boy, that vision of her corpse was to keep you away, and for them to go to the pains to aid with that fight… They must want your girl badly, and it will be—"

"Get to the point," Hiei hissed. "This is a waste of my time."

The demon's lips curled dangerously.

"Very well," it simpered, eyes glowing. "Make your way into the forest, if you dare, and follow the cold. Their tracks will be hidden, but that cold cannot be stashed away so easily. Follow your shivers, gentlemen, and then, I do say, you'll find your girl…"

Follow the cold. Yusuke knew the cold, and could feel it already. A whimper sounded over the land, quietly, like a dying creature.

_Keiko._

And with that, he had set out to find her.


	9. Ferry Girl

**Title:** More Than Words

**Chapter:** Nine.

**Rating: **PG-13 for language and violence.

**Author's Notes**: Woohoo! Thank you for those of you who came back to finish this story with me. Please review. :)

Botan, fresh off her first handful of ferrying missions, rested easily against the trunk of a tree, legs dangling off the branches as she took in a deep breath. She was pleased with her early performances, and Koenma seemed pleased as well. She had been quick and efficient, yet understanding and calm when relating to those she had to escort. A small smile crept over her lips, and she couldn't resist relishing in her new life.

"Another chance," she whispered, touching her fingers to her lips. "Another chance to make it right."

She had some time before she had to hop on her oar back to Spirit World, and for now she would just enjoy the fresh air. She was on the edge of Human World near a small town of villagers in the thick forest that bordered it. The town was constantly plagued with demons, and always seemed to need some clean up from Koenma's resident spirit detective. But today, there was no action, as a pack of criminals had been rounded up recently, leaving the town to a brief period of calm. And so Botan folded her arms over her chest, closing her eyes. At least today, there was quiet. She deserved to rest.

A rustling noise broke Botan from her brief nap. She looked below her and saw fresh footsteps in the ground: they were small, like that of a child.

"That's odd," she murmured. "It's not like the village to let their children wander through the forest."

Knowing that the human child wouldn't be able to see or hear her, she moved down to a lower branch to get a closer peek at the bushes the child was moving through. She narrowed her eyes and leaned forward, edging closer and closer until—

"Oh!"

All at once the branch snapped under the pressured, sending Botan tumbling forward. She landed with a resounding thud on the forest floor, bringing with her a heap of dry leaves and dirt. Grumbling, she began to dust off the sleeves of her kimono and pick at the twigs now nestled in the long blue strands that stuck out across her head.

_Serves me right, I suppose_, she thought. She looked to the sky, finding the sun lower in the sky than she had expected. _It was probably just a rabbit or something. I should probably be getting back, anyway. No doubt Koenma's managed to get himself bogged down with paperwork… I should probably help him, seeing as I've got the time…_

Botan turned away from the tree, holding out her hand to summon her oar. Botan was still getting used to flying in this way, but at least she was getting used to the speed; she no longer put on quick bursts of speed only to slow down again. She could already feel the cool night air streaking past her face.

But as she was about to summon the oar, a small, barely audible whimpering caught her sensitive ears. It was a choked sound, struggling to break the air. Botan looked back toward the brush, fear steeling her legs from movement. _What if it's not a child?_

"Yukio!"

The voice came from behind her, and Botan whipped back. What appeared to be a young girl ran towards her. The girl wore black robes, far too big for her, which covered her from head to toe. Her face was almost wholly shielded, but as she came closer, Botan saw that her face was ghastly white and her eyes were pale grey. Her face was flecked in red, a long gash raking down beside her right eye.

"Yukio!" she cried again. She was almost upon Botan, her small legs tearing against the dirt path. Botan reeled backwards as the girl hurtled past her, clearly oblvious to Botan's presence. The girl then threw herself into the brush Botan had heard the whimpering come from. Botan's voice was sewn up as she watched the girl flit between the trees; the pale girl moaned the name over and over as she disappeared into the dark, overgrown area.

At last, the girl emerged, dragging with her the body of another child. This one was completely covered in blood, only his dark eyes discernible. He was gasping, tears bubbling at the corners of his eyes, as the girl tried to wipe the stains off his face with her large sleeve.

"It's okay," she soothed, "I'm here. It's alright."

Botan dropped to her knees, wishing she could touch the girl and ask her what had happened. But of course her voice would be lost to the wind, rendering her useless.

"I saw her die. I saw him kill her! When she didn't…she didn't do anything…she just tried to protect me," the boy rasped, crushing his small fist on the ground. "And I didn't do anything."

The girl winced, holding her hand on his face.

"You did what I told you to do. You ran. What more could you do?"

He bit his lip. "I could've fought. Like you."

She smiled. "Hush. I'm older. It's my job."

As she wiped his shoulder, Botan saw that there were no gaping wounds on the boy. His skin was perfectly intact beneath the wash of blood, and Botan realized with a sick feeling that the blood belonged to someone else.

The boy reached around to cling to the girl, tried to pull her into a hug. But as he did, a sharp cry flew from the girl, and he snapped back from her, eyes wide.

"What happened? What happened to you?"

The girl had collapsed, breathing heavily as she scraped the ground with her fingers. "I-I was punished… punished for… standing up to him."

The robe slipped down her shoulders, revealing two lines of bloody nubs that snaked down her back. Botan leaned closer, trying to see what they were. They hard coils of what appeared to be more bone than flesh.

"Sora…" the boy moaned, "your…your wings…"

Botan gasped. Now she saw them. Amidst the blood where a few scattered feathers, clinging miserably to the nubs.

"Don't worry about me," she whispered. "We'll stay in the forest for now, until I'm better. Then we'll leave… then we'll…"

"Get revenge," the young boy growled, clenching his fists.

The young girl only smiled sadly, eyes sliding closed as the boy clung to her and a soft rain began to drip down through the forest.

* * *

Botan felt Keiko squeeze her hand, and looking down to see the girl's eyes pinned on the scene before her. Yusuke stood with his legs apart and his hands pointed forward, eyes narrowed at the pair of demons before him. Sora's eyes were focused, however, on Botan, causing Botan to shiver.

Of course Sora had seen her, and remembered her, even this many years later. Sora may have ignored Botan to focus on the frightened Yukio, giving off the false impression that she was human, but she had been aware of her nonetheless. And so to her, Botan had done nothing—had stood there, watched their moment of pain, and left to deal with other matters.

But did a moment of pain justify what they had done? Yukio was a registered criminal, a murderer, and judging off of Sora's reputation, she was no different.

Botan turned to look at Yukio, who was watching her with a curious expression. His dark eyes gleamed.

"Hm," he said quietly. "So you do remember, ferry girl."

Yusuke's eyes snapped to Botan, whose voice died in her throat. "Hey Botan, now would be the time for anything you might've forgotten to tell me," Yusuke hissed quietly.

"I—I… don't know anything that I haven't already told you," she managed, watching as Yukio burst out into a fit of giggles.

"I suggest we shut this fool up quickly," Hiei grumbled, eyes flashing to Botan. "If you won't do it, spirit detective, then allow me."

"No!" Keiko cried, standing to your feet. "You can't fight them—they were bringing me back…"

"Keiko," Kuruma urged softly. "They implanted Yusuke with an image of you as a corpse. It would seem that the intentions they spoke of were… misleading."

"No," Keiko mumbled, but her eyes were jumping back and forth. "They… they…"

"They're going to pay, Keiko," Yusuke said through gritted teeth, eyes focused on Yukio, who was chuckling to himself.

"Well, if you insist, detective."

He rose to his feet and positioned himself across from Yusuke. He removed his robe so that his chest, revealing darkened skin that was taught over lean muscle. But it was no longer the clean skin that Botan had seen so many years ago, and was now a mess of deep scars and wounds. Botan's eyes found his wrists, which had particularly gruesome gashes wrapped around. He strode forward, clapping his hands together as he watched the spirit detective eagerly.

"Now then," he smirked. "Let's have some fun, shall we?"

In a moment, the scene erupted. Yusuke was on the demon in a moment, punching and kicking in a fury of swift motions. The demon dodged quickly, though, and Yusuke was only able to land a handful of glancing hits. He threw his fists out as the demon flipped backward and landed easily before him.

"Ah, now come on, detective! You're being lazy, aren't you? Oh, well, let's wake you up, shall we... a little cold water to wake you up, maybe? Yes, yes, that's it... a little bit closer..."

Yukio had brought his fist back, a soft blue glow developing around it. He threw his fist forward, sending three distinct daggers of ice into Yusuke's chest. Yusuke was thrown back by the force, landing with a great thud. Yukio growled with excitement as Yusuke stood, panting as he pulled the daggers out.

"Oh, yes, now you're woken up, yes you are..."

"End this quickly, Yusuke. I don't like the vibe of this guy," Kuwabara mumbled as Yusuke stood.

Yusuke nodded, first tossing a look to Keiko before, bringing his arms up to point in the gun-like fashion.

_"Spirit gun!"_

But the blast of energy that was thrown forward did not hit the cackling demon, but instead hit a tall, regal looking figure with pale grey eyes that were boring into Botan. She had whipped off her cloak, revealing a slender frame cloaked in thin, white fabrics. The sharp angles of her face tightened as the blow struck her square in the chest, her eyes narrowing. She flew backwards, gliding through the air as she rolled and tumbled, landing in a pile of white on the dirt of the forest floor.


	10. Run

**Title:** More Than Words

**Chapter:** Ten.

**Rating: **PG-13 for language and violence.

**Author's Notes**: Haha! Now no one gets to stay mad at me for taking so long to update, right? Two chapters in less than a week! I know that some things in the past chapters have been a bit confusing, so hopefully this helps clarify some major, major things. And so, without further ado...

* * *

A thick silence hung as Yusuke stared, hands still pointed out towards the shivering clump of white. He looked from her to Yukio, whose eyes were narrowed and whose body was shaking with visible rage—though his anger was not pointed at the spirit detective, but at the collapsed demoness before him. The tinge of his skin grew darker, a dangerous, white flame collecting behind his dark eyes. He visibly glowed with blue spirit energy, and as he did the temperature dropped to a deadly cold.

"You… you…" he growled. "What the fuck was that? How—how could you…"

"There will be no more fighting," the demoness snapped, though her voice was constricted. Her body shook as she stood, her eyes focused on Yusuke. "You must leave this forest immediately, detective. Get back and protect your village. Yukio—Yukio will follow you to ensure your safe passage."

"Who are you to boss me around?" Yukio roared, turning on her. "You think you can just—"

"There isn't any time," she whispered, clutching her chest where the spirit energy had struck her. "You must take them and go—now!"

"Enough," Yusuke smirked. "You're just trying to get out of a fight. You wanna take it? Be my guest. I'll take you both out."

"You fool," Yukio snapped. "You think your blow would've hurt Sora if she hadn't been out fighting for you before? Peh. My sister could kill you with one blow, but she won't touch your filthy skin because you're human."

"Your—your sister?" Keiko murmured, standing to her feet. "You mean she wasn't your…lover?"

"Of course," Botan whispered. "It's why they possess the same powers… Remember what the demon in the village said? Only two can make those ice daggers… the hit must've been made by one of them… they were fighting against the demons…"

"There isn't time for this," Sora cried, eyes narrowing. "Get out of this forest. Yukio, please… you must leave. I'll distract them—now go. Leave, Yukio!"

Suddenly, the forest began to shake, a slew of dark whispers and chuckles igniting the dark corners of the brush. Yusuke whipped around, pointing his gun out before him. Near him he saw Kuwabara ready his sword as Kurama and Hiei took fighting stances.

_"Get the pretty, eat the pretty, bite her head off, tastes like human, human-traitor, soaked in human blood, get the pretty, eat the pretty, bite her head off…"_

"Yukio, please," the white demoness begged, her eyes no longer hollow, but filled with fear.

"What the hell is going on?" Yusuke yelled, falling backwards slightly as the ground rumbled. A cold laughter had erupted nearby and grew closer with each passing second.

"_Get the pretty, eat the pretty, bite her head off, tastes like human, human-traitor, soaked in human blood, nibble off her pretty little hands, metallic swimming in our mouths, taste her blood, tastes like human…"_

"This isn't your fight, spirit detective," the demoness hissed. "Take your girl. This is no place for her."

He looked at her face, littered in small scratches from where she had struck the ground. He found her eyes, which had returned to their hollow grey, and nodded. He grabbed Keiko's hand, dragging her away from the scene.

"No!" Keiko cried, struggling against Yusuke. "We can't just leave her! She'll die!"

Yusuke looked ahead, hurrying as fast his feet could carry him. Kurama and Kuwabara sprinted beside him, and Hiei flickered through the trees ahead. Botan grabbed Keiko's free hand, helping Yusuke to push the girl on. Yusuke turned his head and saw the scene fading from few, the wild chuckle growing fainter and fainter…

"You're not moving quickly enough, detective," a voice ahead of him sounded. He looked up and saw Yukio gliding smoothly from tree to tree, frustration still tightly knotted around his mouth. "We'll be seen. Hurry, this way. They won't find you as long as you stay near to me."

_Follow the cold._

Yusuke nodded, pulling Keiko onto his back. She had ceased struggling, limp in his hands. He winced.

"Yusuke…" she whispered. "Yusuke…"

"It's alright, Keiko," he managed, dipping beneath the trees to follow the demon. He looked to Kurama, who was watching him closely. "It's going to be alright, at least."

Behind them, flashes of light struck the darkness of the forest. Yusuke swore he heard a strangled cry, but didn't dare try to decipher the source of the voice.

* * *

"Alright, demon boy," Kuwabara grunted. "Now that we're here, I want some answers. What the hell is going on?"

They had stopped at a small clearing in the forest, near to the village but not close enough. Not being able to take a direct path had hindered them quite a bit—it had to have been hours since they had left the demoness. Yusuke sat near Keiko, holding her hand tightly. She had been silent since they stopped, only sniffing occasionally with her eyes transfixed on the ground. Yusuke thought that, for now, he would let Kuwabara do the probing.

Yukio, who was seated on a log, had also been quiet. He turned to look at Kuwabara, and shrugged.

"We were led to believe that Sora is not popular among demons," Kurama urged, voice calm and collected as always. "And those voices did not sound human. Is it possible that they have turned on her?"

_"They follow us, they follow our shadows! They is growing restless because she is restless, and they wants to leave. They is knowing she is not happy, and they is growing greedy. They thinks she is growing weak, but she is never weak ..."_

"Popular?" Yukio snorted. "With demons? Of course not. Surely, as a demon yourself, you would be aware of the problem most demons take with, ah, interacting with humans."

Kuwabara scoffed. "If she's such a big fan of us humans, then why'd she put that vision of Keiko—um, of Keiko, well—why'd she put that in Urameshi's brain!"

Yukio smirked. "She didn't."

"Oh, cut the shit," Yusuke glowered. "You lured her into your forest, kidnapped her, tried to get me to follow. You've been using her to get to me."

"My, my, detective," Yukio simpered. "Aren't we misinformed."

He paused, running his tongue along his lips as his gaze drifted to Keiko, who stiffened.

"Keiko, dear," he said lazily. "Do you remember me stealing you away from your precious village?"

"I—I…" Keiko began meekly. "I don't remember…"

"Of course she doesn't!" Yusuke barked. "I assume you knocked her out. But we caught you with her, and that proves it, doesn't it?"

"Fool," Yukio retorted. "What did you find in the back of the demon you were fighting? Sora came to the village to protect those lazy humans. I was watching, obviously, in case I was needed, and I saw one of those low-grade demons knock your girl straight in the head—out cold. You, naturally, were too busy to notice. He started to pull her away to the forest to do who knows what with her, and so I stopped him. Before I could return her, I had to see to Sora. Sorry to break your hero's heart, detective, but I wouldn't have touched Keiko if I was not forced to do your job."

_To do your job._

Yusuke felt his blood simmering beneath his skin.

"I don't understand," came Keiko's quiet voice from beside him, steadily gaining strength as she spoke. "Who else would have wanted Yusuke to come into the forest?"

"Your detective's power impressed me today," Yukio said, quieter than normal. "And now, it's all fitting together… the storm on the village, drawing her out of the forest. I assume, too, that in order to find us, you were given direction?"

"_Don't worry, I will most definitely tell you where to find her, but really, these demons are difficult to find if they do not want to be found… that vision, boy, that vision of her corpse was to keep you away, and for them to go to the pains to aid with that fight… They must want your girl badly, and it will be—"_

"Perhaps," Yukio sighed. "It was accompanied by a less than flattering picture?"

_"Although quite popular with the humans ... well, needless to say most of the other disapprove. Not to mention that lately ... well, you see what's happening. She's stolen your Keiko now and, well ... it would be quite the bonus to be rid of her now that she's turned for the worse…"_

"And so you attacked. You found the supposed culprit, or rather, you found me, and then she—your targets. My sister, fool that she is, ended our fight early so that you could escape with your beloved Keiko, and took the blow so that I would have my full strength to guide you. And now, she has allowed herself to fall into the trap. You set all the steps into motion, detective. You see, Sora is a formidable appointment. Any demon in the forest could tell you that. And so, if one is interested in defeating her, they must first weaken her."

"Hn," Hiei sneered from where he sat in the trees. "Sounds like you speak from experience."

Yukio looked pointedly at Keiko, and then at the ferry girl who stood nearby. Yusuke noticed that Botan's eyes were wide and fearful.

"You have heard of the leeches that were trained on my blood?" Yukio began. "Yes, well, when Koenma gave them to me, he sent me away, assuming that I would meet my demise shortly afterward. He didn't need to put them on me immediately—I think he felt bad. Because if I hadn't put them on within a few short hours, the leeches would latch onto me, and nothing I could do would stop them. No amount of distance would've kept them off once that time was up, and he knew that. What he didn't know, however, was that I had no intention of wearing those leeches…"

"Sora shares your blood," Botan whispered. "You… you… made sure that she was closer and that she…"

"Yes," Yukio said grimly. "I made sure that she couldn't leave."

* * *

Keiko tasted blood in the air. Like before, it was not a dream, for she was fully awake: instead, the forest before her faded, replaced by a small room, cloaked in tatami mats. A young girl, perhaps just a year or two younger than Keiko, lay trembling on the floor. Above the girl stood what appeared to be a dark shadow, outfitted in heavy black fabrics. A low chuckle filled the room, and the girl began to sob.

"Please," the girl begged. "I beg your mercy. Leave our village in peace."

"Leave your village in peace?" the low voice cackled, a low, vibrating sneer rocking the room as he spoke. It was a deep voice, thick and dense and heavy within the walls of the room. "Stupid human. After your slaughter of my people, you think I would leave you in peace? Never. Your kind will never understand my kind."

"We did not slaughter your family! Never would we touch them… they have been good, and they have protected us… your wife—"

"I have done away with my mate," the voice growled, "for her idiocy. That she would choose to stand in my way, to say that your lives were more important than my own, is a crime that cannot go unpunished. She has met her end, girl, and you will soon meet yours."

"No," said the girl, trembling. "No! We have been good to you. Hikari…"

"How dare you," he hissed, "speak her name. She may have been unworthy of life, you petty human, but you will say not say the name of those above you. You pathetic… ah, but there shall be redemption. Sora, come here."

From the corner of the room a small figure rose. She was a pale child with piercing grey eyes and long white hair, pinned neatly behind her in a long braid. Her head was bowed, unwilling to look at the girl.

"Now, my daughter," he snickered. "Kill the human."

The young Sora stood rooted to the spot, but nodded. The girl wailed.

"Sora-chan!" she cried. "I fed you. We played, you and I. Your mother… what would she say… Hikari…"

"Shut up," Sora snarled. Her head remained lowered, but she brought her arm up, wrist hanging limp and pointed at the girl.

"Yes," the deep voice said eagerly. "Yes, do it child, and prove your father proud."

"I said," Sora said after a moment, "shut up."

And with that she whirled, flicking her wrist, not at the girl, but at the cloaked figure behind her. Three daggers of ice struck the demon straight in the heart, causing him to stumble backwards.

"Run!" Sora screamed at the girl, who nodded and dashed out of the room. Sora made to take after the girl, but collapsed with a howl as the side of a sword thrust her to the ground. She turned, grey eyes wild as she shot another round of daggers, this time striking the demon in the face. This sent his cloak flying back, revealing deep brown skin like mud. His eyes, though, were grey like hers, flashing with rage.

"Filth! Just like that weak mother of yours. After I kill you, at least I will be left with one child to be proud of."

"Fool," Sora snapped. "I sent Yukio off hours ago—right after you washed him in his own mother's blood. Did you really think he would follow you after that?"

"What?" the demon snarled. His face constricted in rage, and as Sora scrambled to leave the house, he brought the sword down into her back, tearing the thin fabric of her white robes. Blood spurted over the fabric, and through the torn material a small cluster of feathers stuck out.

Keiko could see that the wings had been folded neatly on the child's back, but as the sword struck deeper, a mess of white feathers flew around the room. They were tinged with crimson, and Keiko watched in horror as the huge demon hacked away at the back of the girl. As the girl whimpered and fell forward, body splayed on the mats, the demon pulled back, laughing wildly. It was in the pause that the crumpled form of white and red flew up, pressing her hand on the demon's chest and sending a final round of daggers into his chest. He roared, reeling back as Sora panted. The young demoness was quick to recover, however, and drew herself up on her feet before the demon had another chance to strike.

"Filth," Sora spat, eyes narrowing on the dark figure as she tore away from the house, intent on the thick forest ahead.

"Yukio," Keiko heard Sora say as she whipped past. "Yukio, don't leave me."


	11. Wake Up

**Title:** More Than Words

**Chapter:** Eleven.

**Rating: **PG-13 for language and violence.

**Author's Notes**: Sorry about the wait! It's holiday and finals season, which leaves me fairly occupied. Anyway, here you go!

* * *

She lay in a warm pool of blood, pale face seared with deep cuts that snaked down her cheeks and neck. Her thin robes clung to her frame, wet and heavy. "Stand," she willed herself. "Stand!"

She forced herself up, digging her fists into the wet ground as leverage. As she hoisted her body up, the hand closed around her throat and pressed thick, black claws into the vulnerable hollow beneath her chin. She tugged a whimper back behind her teeth, raising a limp hand toward his mud-colored face. He cackled, thrusting her easily back into the ground as she tumbled into the dirty puddle. Her own blood splashed up and washed through her teeth, the metallic taste gagging her as she heaved.

"Foolish child," he simpered. "Did you really expect to defeat me? I told you that I would come to punish you, and now I have."

With a thunderous crash he brought the side of the blade down hard on her exposed back, initiating a scream that uncoiled from deep within her and ricocheted in the dense space around her. He smirked, striking again as she curled up involuntarily, and then again as he danced around her. She could hear her body's pounding pulse racketing in her ears.

"You—are—the weak one," she spat, cutting her eyes at him as he swirled around her. "You set this up so that you could come in and finish me off after someone else had done the dirty work."

He growled, striking down once more, but this time with the point of the blade. He buried it where her flesh crumpled around the spine, the remnants of his former attack. She cried out once more, the hot pain whipping through her body.

"You will speak," he snapped, "when you are spoken to."

She swung weakly as he pranced before her, and he dashed to catch her fist in the air. With his large, stubby fingers he squeezed her fingers together, grinning wildly as they responded with loud, popping cracks.

She bit back another yell and swung lamely once more, and he caught that one, too, reducing it to a mess of flesh and loose bone in his grasp. He then tossed her back, letting the wet ground swallow her as she collided. He moved towards her, great body lumbering hungrily forward.

"You will never make a fool of me again," he sneered. "I will hang your body in pieces from the walls of this village. And then I will burn the pieces so that all will know of your complete and total destruction."

He reached out, brandishing his claws above her face. She made to roll away from him, but he stepped forward to pin her body beneath his boot. He twisted his foot into her stomach as though he was putting out a cigarette.

"Goodbye, Sora," he whispered.

She shut her eyes, breathing deep as she anticipated the blow. But it did not come. Sora opened her eyes as bits of rock rained down upon her, the demon above her crumbling to the ground. Beside him lay a large chunk of rock and gravel, and a small distance away stood the shaking girl who had thrown it.

* * *

_Earlier…_

Keiko pushed the rice around her plate absently, knees pulled to her chest and a faraway look spread over her face. She was warm for the first time in days, and her cheeks were regaining some color. She sighed as she looked up to see Shizuru fussing over Kuwabara in the corner of the meager home.

"So, you're telling me that one of the demons we've been sent to round up takes one of Yusuke's hits, falls to the ground, and you all decide that it's a good time to take her criminal brother back through the woods and into the village? Am I getting this straight?"

"Look, we didn't want to, but it was the only way!" Kuwabara snapped, burying his face behind a bowl of noodles. "There were these creepy whispers and—even though I could've easily taken whatever was there—it seemed like the best idea at the time! We had to get back here and make sure that… that… the village was alright!"

"Oh, yeah, the village has been great," Shizuru simpered, eyes narrowing. "We've had just a fantastic time cleaning up demon blood and guts while you've been off frolicking. Yeah, we're just peachy keen in this neck of the woods."

Yukina smiled beside Keiko, flashing a knowing look. "It really wasn't all that bad," she whispered to Keiko. "But it was rather messy."

"I don't know what to do, Yukina," Keiko murmured, hugging her body close as the girl peered back at her. "Something just doesn't feel right. I'm sick of always needing saving, and the one time that I genuinely don't need it, I manage to get everyone into trouble."

"Oh, Keiko," Yukina smiled. "You didn't do anything. It's not your fault that the village got attacked, is it?"

"No," said Keiko, "but it is my fault that Yusuke got dragged into the woods because he was chasing after me."

"Yusuke would follow you to the ends of the earth if he thought you were in danger. You can't help that."

"But it's not like that, Yukina. I had the visions. I… I didn't tell him the whole story. I went after Yukio by myself. I…"

"All that we can do now is move forward. We help the village prep for another attack, and we rest. Hopefully, the things in the forest will figure themselves out. We can't save everyone, Keiko."

Keiko shook her head, tears springing in her eyes.

"I think I need a moment alone," she whispered, trying to offer something of a smile to the concerned Yukina.

She walked towards the door, ignoring the siblings babbling in the corner. The night air was warm in the village from all the fires, and flecks of ash dipped and twirled behind the makeshift houses. People were bustling to and fro, bringing bandages and weapons to various outposts. She turned to walk towards a row of houses, but was caught in her steps when she overheard the low vibrations of Yukio's voice. All at once the cold from the nearness of him made the goose bumps on her arms stand up. Then she saw him

Utada, the old woman that had cryptically invited them into the village, stood over the sitting demon, her hand on his shoulder and a tenderness flashing in her old eyes. Keiko slunk back behind the door frame to watch them, voice catching in her throat.

"Do not fear for Sora-chan," the old woman cooed. "She has never let this village down, and I have full face that she will not let us down now."

"I'm not worried about this village," Yukio whispered, gripping his fists together. "I'm worried about her. I've let her down so many times, and now that I'm doing what she wants me to do… I don't know if I can. I can't just stay here knowing that I left her out there to die."

"Now, now," she hummed. "If there is one thing that I know about Sora-chan, it's that there's no bad situation that she can't dig herself out of."

The old woman bit her lip, squeezing Yukio's shoulder. He turned his dark eyes up to her fading ones, and she smiled.

"When I was a girl, Yukio-chan, your sister saved my life. This village will never forget that. She has always protected us, and we have harbored her here in our forest for a long time. Even when her own father turned against us—indeed, even when you, her brother, turned on us—she protected us because she recognized that we did not ask for our weakness. Now she has asked you to protect us, Yukio-chan, and I pray that you will not desert us in our time of need."

Yukio turned his head down, but nodded solemnly. He brought his hand up to where the old woman's hand lay on his shoulder, and patted it softly.

"I will do as my sister wishes," he said quietly. "I will protect this village."

Keiko leaned forward, trying to hear more of their conversation as Utada's voice dropped. She was focused on the scene at hand, completely unaware when a foreign hand fell upon her shoulder.

She screamed.

"Hey, calm down! Keiko, it's me. Yusuke. See?"

She looked up from where she had stumbled back to see Yusuke looking crestfallen. She put a hand to her chest, hurling him a dark look.

"Yusuke, you scared me!"

"Sorry, Keiko. I didn't mean to. But you don't need to be so jumpy, you know…I'm here for you, remember?"

She sighed, taking a step toward the stung boy. She did trust him. Every moment that she was close to him, she felt just a bit safer and secure. His head dipped toward the ground as he dug his heels into the ground, angling his eyes away from her. She smiled and gently touched her hand to his cheek, turning his face toward hers.

"I know, Yusuke. I'm sorry. I really didn't mean anything by it. I'm just a little on edge, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Just try not to be such a wreck, alright? It really stresses me out."

She smiled, clipping him smoothly on the shoulder. "You brat," she giggled.

"Am I interrupting anything?"

The cold voice came from Hiei, who was glaring at the pair before him. His arms were folded across his chest, a rage building behind his visible eyes. Yusuke ran his hands through his hair, laughing nervously.

"What's up, Hiei."

"Well, while you two were out here copulating—"

"Hiei!" Keiko snapped.

"—it may have escaped your attention that the ferry girl has gone missing."

Keiko blinked. "What do you mean? Botan was with the villagers when we left…"

"Well, I clearly already checked there and didn't see her, which is why I am now telling you that she is _missing_."

Keiko bowed her head, fresh tearing stinging at her eyes. "Oh, Botan…"

"How could someone take her?" Yusuke said. "There's too many people, and I saw Yukio out by the houses…"

"No one took her, you fool," Hiei glowered. "She left."

Keiko gasped. "No… she wouldn't have. It's—it's too dangerous. She knows better."

"Peh," Hiei snarled. "Clearly, she doesn't. It's obvious, isn't it? The ferry girl has gone into the forest."

* * *

Botan shivered, the exhaustion and exertion catching up with her the moment that the rock hit the demon's head. She'd pulled together a small bit of spirit energy to launch the rock with enough force to strike the demon down. It wasn't enough to do much damage to the creature, but it was enough time to distract it long enough for Sora to gather herself up off the ground and fight back.

However, Sora was still heaving, her pale body littered with flecks of blood and marred with bruises. Before her, the huge demon was turning its head slowly from where it had fallen to the ground, a low growl rumbling from outside of its throat.

"Oh, dear..."

Botan began backing up against the forest trees as the demon gathered himself to his full, enormous, the muscles in his arms tightening.

"Hm, you see, Sora? When you make friends with humans, they only manage to get in the way, don't they? Because now I'll have my way with this pathetic little human, while you watch in disgust. Now, come here my little blue-haired pet."

He pounced forward, and Botan yelped as she dashed to the side. She held out her hand to call her oar, but he was quick and was soon chasing her down. Around her she heard hungry whispering, and the bushes surrounding them appeared to be shifting.

_"Get the pretty, eat the pretty, bite her head off, little human girl who smells so good, put her head upon a stick, slurp up all her blood..."_

Botan felt helpless tears pricking at her eyes as she swung her body behind trees, all the while darting away from the demon who was plunging his fist and claws after her legs.

_Come on, Botan girl, think! You just need to get enough time to get out your oar... oh!_

Botan noticed a branch that teetered just above the demon's head and launched herself towards it, scraping at the bark with her hands to try to maintain a grasp. As she flung herself, the demon turned, a smirk catching his lips as he pawed at the branch. But Botan was quick, and she climbed from that branch higher still, desperately trying to gain a moment of relief.

"Pretty blue-haired girl wants to take lunch up into the trees?" he cackled from below her as he thrust a fistful of claws into the belly of the trees. "Fine by me. But I should warn you, girl, the higher you go, the easier you will be to catch..."

Botan tossed a frightened glance down towards the demon, who was shrugging off a large cloak. Beneath it, the muddy brown skin seemed to be rippling in the dark. The demon's eyes were swallowed up in black as surge of bubbles seemed to dart beneath his skin, and the white of his teeth flashed as longer, gnarled fangs emerged over his lips.

He was assuming his truest form, but what caught Botan dead in her climb was that from his back the rippling had come to hilt, rising up over his back as the energy of his transformation focused near his spine. Then, with a fierce hiss, two large wings of black and brown feathers shot out, framing his gruesome form as he unleashed a fresh bout of cackling.


	12. Darkness

**Title:** More Than Words

**Chapter:** Twelve.

**Rating: **PG-13 for language and violence.

**Author's Notes**: Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry for the wait, but here it is. This is the last chapter. I hope you like it. I'm so grateful for all of the support I have had working on this, and I'm glad to finish it after all these years. Please enjoy!

* * *

"This is your fault," Yusuke murmured as he glared at the dark-haired demon. Yukio's face had gone white at the mention of Botan's disappearance, and it was the first time that Keiko felt she had seen him frightened. But then it was gone, and his eyes were narrowed.

A small smile spread over the demon's lips. "Of course, detective. I accept full responsibility for your inability to watch the ferry girl."

"That's enough," snapped Keiko. "We don't have time for this. We have to go after her."

"I don't think we're going to have to move very far," said Kuruma quietly. His eyes were trained on the sky.

The group turned to follow the kitsune's gaze, and immediately saw a small, blue-haired dot whirring on her oar just above the tree line. She was swerving through the air, rolling from side to side.

A growl resounded from Hiei. "Something's wrong."

Botan began to stream towards them, away from the trees, but again her path seemed disoriented. She unleashed a scream as the trees below her seemed to rattle and explode.

"No," hissed Yukio. "_No._"

Before they could question the demon, he had streaked past them. He burst towards the trees, nearing where Botan was now rocketing towards the ground. It did not take the group long to chase after him.

Yukio was fast, but Hiei was faster. The fire demon easily matched the other demon's stride, but kept a distance between them as neither could be sure where Botan might fall. Just as the fire demon hastened beneath where she and the oar were spinning, the forest gave way and both Botan and Hiei were covered by the shadow of a pair of enormous wings.

* * *

Sora tried to tug herself up from the ground. The ferry girl's screams were echoing all around, and in the shadows she heard the other demons stirring. The unforgiving buzz of claws sharpening against trees, tongues lapping over teeth, and paws striking the ground with hunger filled her ears.

She watched the shadows disappear into the sky as Botan finally managed to take flight from the tree. Still, his wings gushed from his body, pumping silently through the sky as he tore after her. Sora tried to aim several ice daggers after him, but it was no use. He was too high and then, he was gone.

She threw back the white cloak she wore tucked over her shoulders and dress, revealing the thin dress beneath. Without the cloak, it dipped down to her lower back. The gruesome remains of her wings were below, knotted and gnarled bits of flesh that lay covered in black scars. A few weak feathers still clung to the stubborn nubs, but they would not propel her into the sky. Sora, once named for her mother's hope that she could bring light and peace to the skies, was grounded and weak.

Nevertheless, it was easier to run without the weight of the cloak. She no longer cared that her weakness, her shame, was exposed. All that mattered was that she save the girl with the blue hair. This was not their battle, yet here they were in the middle of it. They had been led in to weaken her, and then to be utterly consumed by a force they could not foresee.

And then there was her brother. She could hear his taunts ratcheting between her ears as he pretended to raise his hand to fire back at them. No doubt, the dreams that her father had planted in the spirit detective and Keiko had shown his former skill. Like she, he had been gifted with impressive aim, perhaps more so as he did not possess the wings. It was the memory of his force that kept the forest demons at bay, and Yukio did not hesitate to remind them.

But now, no reminding of former talent could save her brother or the group of detectives. She had sent the group out of the forest with a bluff to protect them, for the truth was, Yukio could do nothing for them. He could run, he could smirk and laugh and taunt, but he could not defend them.

She closed her eyes as the leaves struck her and saw that day, so clearly, when he had fought her. He had waited for the leeches that he had planted to overcome her, to weaken her, so that he could kill her. The rage that had swollen in his eyes was insurmountable. And yet, they had bypassed her. Perhaps they were drawn by his guilt, or perhaps he had overestimated the idea of their shared blood. But either way, they had scuttled over her pale feet and strapped themselves to his chest.

She had watched the glow in his eyes disappear as he screamed. Her leaving him before had not managed to drain him of his demonic intentions, but his own greed had eventually caught up to him. In that moment, she had vowed to shield him, and to reclaim him as family. She had not allowed him to go far in the forest where she could not take his blows. She had kept his secret and his shame, and she had forgiven him. For really, it all came back to the demon that now snaked after the ferry girl in the forest. Neither Yukio nor Sora could blame the other. He had imprisoned them here with the unspoken threat that, if they chose to leave, the human families they had protected would be killed.

But it was no longer unspoken. He was here. And if dying meant freedom, so be it.

* * *

She was closing in on the edge of the forest, and in the distance she saw the group. She saw the shadow of wings darkening the open space. And then she saw Botan strike the ground as a fire demon failed to reach her in time.

The world was dizzy. Keiko saw the aftermath of Botan's crash through a darkened, dusty glaze. She stammered forward, pushing past the rest. Hiei was at Botan's side, pushing through the earth to reclaim her with remarkable speed and strength. As he pulled her from the rubble, she gave a weak smile.

So she was all right. But then, of course she was. She was probably injured, probably uncomfortable, but this was Botan. No mere crash was going to bring her down.

Keiko reached the ferry girl and took her hand, helping her stand. Hiei had turned his attention to the figure in the sky that was now circling like an oversized vulture. Keiko felt sick when she realized it was laughing.

"What the hell is that?" Kuwabara managed as he caught up.

"Looks like some sort of oversized chicken to me," said Yusuke. "Shall I fry it?"

"We shouldn't waste time," offered Kurama. "Prepare yourselves—we don't know what sort of power to expect."

He was ready with his rose whip, eyes as focused as Hiei. Each member readied their weapon, and Keiko saw that Yusuke's arms were quaking with rage as he held them out before him.

"I dare it to come closer," he hissed.

"His power's in his flight and his strength," said a quiet voice to the left. "And he's waiting for you to attack."

Keiko turned to see Yukio. For a moment, he and Yusuke looked a lot a like, as a deep-seated fury seemed to be coursing through the demon hybrid's muscles. Yet, if she dug a bit deeper, Keiko noticed something even more unusual. There was no humor, or even challenge, in his dark eyes. There was fear laced with exhaustion.

"You know this guy?" Yusuke snapped. "So let me guess, another brother? I knew this was a team job from the beginning, and you've just been distracting us. I'm going to blow you to pieces, you little—"

"Stop, Yusuke," whispered Botan. She had gone pale. "He's not here to hurt us. He would've done so already."

Yukio's eyes warmed as he turned them to Botan. Like she, he was remembering the fragile state in which she had first found him. As she watched him relax slightly, she thought perhaps he was forgiving her for running away. Just as quickly, though, he hardened and turned his gaze to the still-circling creature in the sky.

"That demon is my father. He killed my mother. He tried to kill the people who lived here many years ago. He fought and mutilated my sister when she refused to kill with him, and then he disappeared. He is the reason I sought blood on so many demons. He is the reason I then plotted to kill my sister, and he will kill me today."

For a moment the group was quiet, and then Hiei stepped forward.

"Perhaps you will die today," he smirked. "After all, you doubt your own abilities… I guessed that the boasting was a ruse."

Yukio's eyes narrowed, but he swallowed whatever insult sat at the tip of his tongue. "I will stay and fight with you, but I confess I will be little help. However, if you wish to leave, I will take him alone. This was never your fight. You were meant to be the bait."

"Listen, I'm getting a little tired of all of this wishy washy nonsense," said Yusuke. "I'm firing on this guy. Kuwabara, stay back a bit, unless he goes for Botan and…"

He looked at Keiko, who threw her fists in front of her defiantly.

"We'll be fine," she said. "Just get on with it so we can go home."

Yusuke nodded, needing nothing more. With his hands cocked toward the demon, he fired.

At first, the shot seemed a sure hit. It was not until moments before it would have struck that the group realized that the demon had rolled into some sort of cocoon and dodged Yusuke's shot. But instead of remaining stationary, it was now barreling toward them.

It was not until its teeth were closing in on her face that Keiko remembered to scream.

* * *

Chaos snapped in the moments that followed the demon's surprise descent. Something had stopped it from reaching Keiko, but she couldn't be sure if it was the combination of Kuwabara's sword, Hiei's lashing, Kurama's rose whip, or Yusuke's punches. Something had pulled her and the group away, though, while the others began the assault. There was no need for one-on-one fighting here. They had seen what this thing was capable of, and it had given up any possible chance for a matched fight.

Once again, though, the air had filled with dust, and all she could make out were shadowy figures. Something was panting on the ground, something that smelled of putrid garbage and blood. Keiko tasted something metallic in the air, felt the warmth of several bodies radiating around her. She counted the figures nearest her, and found that all in her party were counted for.

All except for Yukio.

As the dust began to settle, she saw him. Although the demon had been thrown to the ground and now lay panting within an inch of its life. But something else caught Keiko's eyes. The demon had revealed a gnarled, clawed hand, and it was wrapped around the formally merry demon's throat. Yukio's arms lay limp at his sides, and he was gasping for breath. Blood was peppered over his chest from where he was gagging it out of his mouth.

A momentary inconvenience, thought Keiko. In just a moment, he will fire an ice dagger right into its heart and finish the demon off. Just…

The horrible crunching of bones crackled through the air, and Botan whimpered. The demon's other hand was cracking Yukio's leg bones bit by bit.

Why doesn't he move? Keiko wanted to scream, or vomit, or both. Surely, demon's bones cannot be broken so easily. He's snapping him like a twig…

The patter of feet, and Keiko turned to her right to see Sora emerge out of the forest. Her cloak was gone, and a look of horror had settled into her normally unruffled features. She quickly smoothed it out, though, and began to trudge towards the demon.

"Stop there, Sora, or I will slit his throat right now," cooed the demon in a bristled voice that issued another cry from Botan.

Sora stopped, her eyes narrowed.

"I told you this would happen if you betrayed me," he purred. "And now lookie what I've caught. But I never knew what had become of him, you know. He's rather frail, isn't he?"

Another crunch.

Sora seemed unable to speak. Keiko had seen her endure blows before, but she had always seemed nonplussed, even in the darkest of situations. Now…

But it still didn't make sense that Yukio did not fight. He was so close. Just a wrist flick and…

"How about I give you one shot, daughter? One shot to even the odds a bit, before I kill your precious brother. Mind you if anyone else fires, my grip's so tight that I'll squish his throat and kill him right now. Would you like that one shot, Sora?"

Pride, thought Keiko. Demons are always crippled by pride, and now Sora will have a clear shot at him. Perfect.

Sora nodded. Keiko's eyes flickered over to Yusuke for a moment, but she saw that he was staring straight ahead at the demon, arms still thrown out but still.

"All right, darling. On the count of three. One, two, three…"

A single ice dagger zipped past Keiko towards the brown and black demon. But it didn't hit his stomach or his eyes or his spine. It hit Yukio, right in the chest, so that the demon released him with a howl while Yukio fell like a rag doll to the ground.

* * *

The demon dropped dead momentarily. With Yukio out of his grasp, he proved to be a clean target. His blood oozed out over the ground, his jaw hung limp. In the forest, the whispers escalated to a frantic rhythm.

_"Demon blood, thick and juicy, want a taste, see the body, pepper it with flavor…"_

It was Sora that moved forward to drag her brother away from the corpse. Her hands ran gently over the body that lay so still. Her gaze didn't falter until Botan approached wearily.

"You… shot him."

Sora nodded. "Will you take him? When he's gone?"

"But I don't understand. Why did you…"

Sora gingerly reached forward and began to pull Yukio's shirt away from where the dagger struck him. The blood, so thick and resilient, held on viciously to the fabric. So Sora tore it patiently, until Botan could see what was beneath.

A thick, moving coat sent the ferry girl's hand to her mouth. Beneath the thick fabric, at least a hundred leeches vibrated with life. They glowed slightly with the bulk of what they had stolen, but several were cracked or broken from the force of Sora's dagger.

"The key," Botan whispered. "The key!"

Sora looked up. Botan had zipped off, blue hair whipping behind her as she rushed towards the tent. In moments, she returned, forcing a navy colored box into Sora's hand.

Keiko gaped. "Of course! The key! Koenma left it."

Sora opened the box slowly, eyebrows cocked suspiciously. But as her hands touched what was inside the box, its contents began to vibrate. In her hands, it burned, the streak of deep red turning orange against the rest of the black key.

Gently, she inched it towards Yukio. As it grew closer, the leeches started to hiss and scream. Upon contact, they burst into tiny blue flames and tumbled to the floor.

Botan leaned forward, and realized that Yusuke and the others were now beside her. Yusuke had taken Keiko's hand. He too wanted to see what had become of this strange demon.

With the leeches gone, Yukio's lips slowly began to curl. His eyes fell on Sora, and then on Botan. His eyes flashed.

"Thanks, sweetheart," he said.

Botan flushed, and she and Keiko's eyes met. She could see from Keiko's eyes that there would be no more nightmares involving these two.

_At last_, thought Botan. _I've made something undeniably right._

A case closed. As the villagers began to slink from their houses, the white and black demons held on to one another. And as the group, led by the spirit detective, shook their undeniably cold hands, the world seemed still and almost harmless once again.


End file.
